Someone Like You
by Kari Gilmore
Summary: Timon stumbles upon a new meerkat colony and attracts the attention of a young female meerkat... can Timon finally find love?
1. Grazin' In The Grass

I... have... returned:Random fans cheer... others cower in fear.: You guys were just _so_ great, I just _HAD_ to think up a new fic to wet your appetites... plus, I love getting gifts and attention! I was watching the _"Grazing in the Grass"_ music video on the _TLK 1.5_ DVD and an idea hit me. And to thank the song for giving me the inspiration, I put some of it into the first chapter. 

Now, as you may recall, _Son of Fearless Buzz_ was updated about every 2 days... not sure if the same will happen with this fic. With _SoFB_, I had deleted scenes to guide me... this one's pretty much original work. But lemme know what you think! See you later! And as always, treats and reviews are well welcomed! UPDATE: Removed _Grazin' In the Grass_ lyrics.

Someone Like You  
By Kari Gilmore

Chapter 1:

The sun rose over the horizon at Pride Rock. Timon walked out of the lion's cave, stretched out, and yawned. He watched the sun and smiled to himself, inhaling the fresh air deeply. The wind brushed up against his fur and through his hair, ruffling it in such a familiar manner it brought another smile to his face. He continued to watch the sun, and tilted his head slightly.

"Today's the day, Dad. Simba doesn't need us here to babysit Kiara anymore, and the Outsiders are now on our side. I can't wait to get home and see everyone again."

"There you are, Timon." Timon turned to see Pumbaa had padded out of the cave and over to him. He sat down next to Timon and looked at the sun. "Were you talking to yourself, or to Buzz?"

"To Dad."

Pumbaa looked where Timon was looking, and then he waved at the sun. "Good morning, Mr. Buzz!"

"Did you say your good-byes?" Timon asked.

"Yup."

"And I suppose you had a cry?"

Pumbaa sniffled, "Yup." Pumbaa let out a few whimpers and tears. Timon grinned and shook his head.

"Well, I gotta admit, _I_ had a cry, too."

"I'm gonna miss seeing them on a daily basis."

"So am I. But I miss seeing Ma and the rest of the colony on a daily basis... even Uncle Max. Simba asked us to stay here to make sure Kiara stays safe and away from the Outlands. Now that the Outsiders are Pride Landers, they don't need us here anymore... at least until Kiara and Kovu decide they need babysitters, and they won't be grown up enough for two more years. So, we can finally go home. Ready?"

Pumbaa nodded, and then lowered his head for Timon to climb up. Timon climbed on and tugged on Pumbaa's ears. They descended Pride Rock and started to trot away. They stopped a moment to look back at it. Timon sighed as Pumbaa looked ahead again and started walking again.

"Kovu and Kiara look so cute together, don't they, Timon?" Pumbaa asked.

"Yeah... cute. Ahh, young love. Lucky lions," Timon said, resting his chin in his paw.

Pumbaa turned his eyes back at Timon, sensing his pal was in another mood. "Uh-oh... Timon, you're not getting depressed again, are ya?"

"What makes you think _that,_ Pumbaa?" Timon asked as he boredly twirled a piece of Pumbaa's hair with his finger. "Just because Simba may be a grandfather before I'm even a father, does that mean I'm getting depressed again?"

"Uh..."

"Such a poet." Timon smiled and sat up straight. "Hey, let's get back to the oasis and then we can get back to river rafting. How does that sound?"

"River rafting? _Yay!_" Pumbaa's trot sped up to a run, but then he skid to a halt after about 30 seconds of running.

"Hey, why'd you stop?" Timon suddenly heard a grumbling noise. He grimaced. "Pumbaa...?"

"It's not _that,_ Timon. I just haven't had breakfast yet. You were just _so_ ready to leave, I didn't have time," Pumbaa said as Timon slid down Pumbaa's snout and to the ground.

"Well, yeah. I suppose when you've been away from your dream home and family for more than a year that happens. I'm ready to go home..." Timon stopped when he heard another grumble, this time coming from his own stomach. He blushed slightly as Pumbaa arched a brow at him. "... But that doesn't mean we can't make a stop at the International House of Grubs!"

"IHOG! Yay!"

They separated to look for a log, where their breakfast typically hangs out. Timon pushed through some blades of grass and found some rocks. He pushed one over and quickly recovered a few plump worms. He slurped them up like strands of spaghetti. He wiped his face off, then moved to the next one. As he was about to lift it, he heard some voices. He cocked his head and started heading towards the source. He pushed a few more blades of grass aside to behold a whole new meerkat colony. They were gathered together, taking instructions from the leader.

"This looks like the perfect location for our new tunnels. Shall we get to work?" he asked, putting his paws together. The colony, a group of about 25, cheered and got into formations. Timon watched them, curious. He never actually saw meerkats start new tunnels from scratch before. His colony never really moved to new locations, not until Timon lead them to the oasis, and they never had to dig tunnels there. So, he decided to forgot about his empty stomach for the moment and watch.

"Can ya dig it?" a female meerkat asked.

"We can dig it!" The meerkats began digging as the female began to sing. The others sang back-up. The song had a good beat to it, one that you could dance to. The female singing had a very nice voice as well. Timon watched, now wanting to hear the whole song.

"Here we go!" A female meerkat reared her head back, drawing Timon's attention. Her fur was about the same color as his, but a shade lighter. She had 6 brown stripes on her back. From where Timon was standing, she appeared to have blonde hair and possibly blue eyes. Her voice was that of an alto, and she sang.__

The corner of Timon's mouth twisted into a half-smile as he watched the female meerkat do a small dance as she coached the digging beat to her colony. She suddenly stopped when she caught a glimpse of Timon. When she stopped singing, the diggers came up to see what was wrong.

"Zuri, you stopped the rhythm. What's the matter?" a female asked. The singing female, Zuri, didn't reply as she continued looking at Timon. They looked in the direction where she was looking, and noticed Timon. Timon realized he was being watched, so he began to back away. He stopped when he felt he had backed into someone. He looked back and noticed he had backed into another meerkat, the leader, who was more muscular and a little taller than Timon. Timon turned around to face him and gave him a nervous smile.

"Sorry... was I suppose to buy tickets to watch meerkats dig tunnels?" he asked. The female meerkat who was singing, Zuri, came to see what was going on.

"Who is it, Papa? Anyone you know?" she asked.

"No... just a rogue meerkat," the father growled at Timon, then bent down to meet Timon's face. "Are you trying to muscle into our colony?"

"What? Oh, _no,_ sir! No, I, uh, was just watching that little song and dance number. My colony has a similar whistle-while-you-work thing going, but it's not as hip-hop as yours. It's a real toe-tapper, sir," Timon said, keeping his nervous smile and backed away from the father, then accidentally backing into Zuri. "_Ay!_" He jumped and got in a defensive position. Zuri gasped when he had his paws up. Timon put his paws down quickly when he realized who it was. "Oh, _geez!_ I-I-I'm sorry! I-I'm really sorry, miss." Zuri blinked at Timon a bit, looking him over. Timon also looked at her, since she was closer to him, he could see how much prettier she was. And she was. Very.

The father stepped up between the two. "Don't waste your time. My daughter does not associate with rogues."

"Papa, don't you think you're being--?"

"No, I don't."

"But I'm not a--" Timon began, but he stopped when the father gave him a warning stare.

The father then turned around and put his paw on his daughter's back. "Come, Zuri. We have nests to build." Zuri looked back at Timon briefly, a hint of curiosity in her eyes, then allowed her father to guide her away from Timon.

Timon felt the corner of his mouth twist into a half-smile again as he watched her disappear into the newly formed tunnels. "Zuri, huh?"

"Timon!" Pumbaa calling his name brought Timon back to reality. Timon shook his head to clear his mind and turned to see Pumbaa trot over to him. "I found a _great_ log! What are you doing?"

"Uh... nothing. C'mon, let's go eat!" Timon followed Pumbaa, then he took one last look at the colony tunnels. He shook his head with a sigh and followed Pumbaa.

_To be continued..._


	2. Welcome Home

:Sweatdrops at Sa-chan.: You're scaring me... I know, lots of people don't like OCs just for the sake of being paired up with copyright characters. I usually don't either, usually because I expect another sequel to come out and then they'd create cubs for Kiara and Kovu or girlfriends for Timon and Pumbaa. I usually try to stick to as close to the series as I can... I usually only write fics for shows that are cancelled and then I can write what went on from there and invent new characters as well.

Anyway, I really don't expect another _Lion King_ sequel on the way (_real shame, too_), so I figured, eh why not? And I've wanted to write a Timon romance thing since before I finished writing _Son of Fearless Buzz._ And I don't really do slash. So, sorry if this fic isn't going in the direction you guys like it (_or just Sa-chan_), but it's what I want to write about. Otherwise, everyone else seems to like it so far. :Points at brownies and glass of milk from Jedi, birthday cake and glass of milk from Mina, and chocolate pretzels and a bottle of Grape Pucker from her buddy Stormie.:

PS... if I ever become a true Mary-Sue... I want someone to hit me. **_Hard._** UPDATE: Removed _Great Timon_ lyric.

Chapter 2:

Pumbaa trotted across the desert, humming cheerfully as he and Timon grew closer to the oasis. Timon was fanning himself with his paw, lying on Pumbaa's back.

"Pumbaa, do you think you can speed it up? I'm fried," Timon said, looking back at Pumbaa. He felt Pumbaa had stopped, so he sat up and turned around, climbed on top of Pumbaa's head, and looked down at him. "I said _'speed it up'_ not _'slow it down.'_ This is the exact opposite of what I said. Why'd you stop now?"

"We're home!" Timon looked ahead and smiled when he saw the oasis was only a few hundred feet away.

"We're home..." Timon echoed. "_Whoo-hoo!_" Pumbaa started running towards the oasis at top speed. Three meerkats were climbing the outer trees for some fruit half the size they were. One meerkat pulled a piece off the branch, and then some movement caught his eye. He looked out towards the desert and smiled as he saw Pumbaa running towards them.

"It's Timon and Pumbaa!" he said. The other two meerkats looked and waved at them.

"They're back for a visit!" the second meerkat cheered. Pumbaa skid to a halt to look up at the tree-climbing meerkats.

"Hey, guys! Simba doesn't need us babysitting anymore!" Pumbaa waved.

"Are you serious?"

"Spread the word, we're home!" Timon called up to them. The third meerkat grabbed a vine and swung ahead to tell the good news.

"Look out below!" the first meerkat called down as he and the second meerkat dropped two pieces of fruit down towards them. Pumbaa got directly under them and pierced one with his tusk. Timon tried catching the other one, but it dropped on him instead. It crumbled and spread sticky fruit juice all over his fur. "Whoops. Sorry, Timon!"

"Are you OK, Timon?" Pumbaa asked as Timon licked some juice off his paw, then he smacked his lips, tasting it.

Timon grinned, "Mmm... a bit sticky, but yeah." The meerkats in the tree grabbed some vines and swung ahead to meet with the rest of the colony. Pumbaa followed them on the ground. As they neared the stream, they heard the colony singing. Timon smiled, slid off the front of Pumbaa's snout, and raced ahead of him. "Oh, baby, they're singing my song!" Timon said as he ran ahead. Pumbaa grinned and ran after him. Timon ran ahead and stopped when members of his colony greeted him. Pumbaa showed up and received the same greetings.

"Welcome back, Timon and Pumbaa!"

"Good to have you back!"

"OK, back up, guys! We gotta breathe, y'know!" Timon said as he lightly pushed some meerkats out of the way. He dusted himself off, still sticky from the fruit juice. "Tell Ma I'll be over in a bit. I gotta wash this sticky juice off before she decides to work on my hair again."

"Too late. There she is," Pumbaa said as the meerkats parted, revealing Timon's mother.

"Ma."

"Timon." Timon smiled and rushed over to meet her. Ma opened her arms and hugged Timon when he reached her. "Is it true? Are you really staying, Timmy?"

"Yeah. I'm home, Ma." Timon moved to let go, except his fur was stuck to his mother's.

"Timon... when was the last time you took a bath?"

"This morning," Timon said, trying to pull apart from her. "I got clobbered with fruit juice."

"Fruit juice? Hmm, I wonder..." Ma took this chance to smooth out Timon's hair.

"_Ma!_" She smoothed his hair out, making Timon looking a little foolish.

"Ooh, fruit juice works better than bug juice," Ma said, admiring her work. Timon managed to pull away, rubbing his fur. Pumbaa snickered at Timon's hairdo. Timon stared back at Pumbaa as he ruffled his hair up the way he normally has it.

"OK, now that everyone knows we're back, I'm going to wash up. I expect a party when I get done!"

Timon walked away, past the rest of his colony and stepped into the water. He looked back at the group, who had walked away and were preparing to get the party started. Pumbaa walked off as well. Timon waded over to one of the smaller waterfalls and began to wash the juice out of his fur, absentmindedly humming to himself. He shook his head to clear it when he realized he was humming to the tune that female meerkat was singing earlier today.

"Just another pretty face... just forget about her, Timon. She's your typical meerkat female who sings and dances... well. Really, _really_ well. And you're just dying to hear a woman besides your mother to say she loves you. Can't fall for someone on looks alone, you know. And you'll probably never see her again." Timon stepped out from under the water and waded back to the shore, where Pumbaa was waiting.

"Timon, are you talking to Buzz again?" Pumbaa asked, cocking his head.

"No, I'm talking to myself."

"About what?" Timon grabbed a leaf and used it to towel himself dry.

"I'd like to think my personal thoughts could stay personal, don't you?"

"Not when you say them out loud." Timon grimaced at his buddy, and then he shook his head. Pumbaa tilted his head to the side as he watched Timon start to walk away. "Aww, Timon, _please_ don't act like that again. I thought you came to terms with Buzz's loss."

"I did."

"Then what are you acting mopey about this time?"

"I'm _not_ acting mopey," Timon said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. He put on a smile for Pumbaa, lightening the tone of his voice. "I'm home with my family. Why should I be mopey?"

"Well, when we were leaving Pride Rock--"

"Blood's more important to me than staying with the lions and being the personal babysitter to the princess. She's a big girl now."

"Actually, I was talking about when you said Kiara and Kovu are lucky to be in love. You're lonely." Timon stopped, and then he grimaced again.

"OK, you got me there." Timon walked over to Pumbaa and climbed up onto his back. Pumbaa continued walking in the direction Timon was going. "See, I found this meerkat colony while we were looking for breakfast today, and one female stood out. She's a great dancer, and not a bad singer either."

"What's her name?"

Timon leaned forward, resting his elbows on top of Pumbaa's head. He let out a small sigh, "Zuri. Ah... blue eyes, blonde hair, she looked like she had soft fur..."

"Pretty?"

Timon shrugged, "Eh. She was cute."

Pumbaa looked back at him with a grin. "_Timon...?_"

Timon waved him off. "Pumbaa, there's no point of me going on about her. She doesn't associate with rogues... at least that's what her father said."

"But you're not a rogue."

"That's what _I_ tried to say. He thought I was trying to get into the colony, so he gave me the boot before I could even introduce myself." Timon rested his chin in his paws. "So maybe I should just forget about her. She's probably not my type anyway."

"Timon, you don't give up that easily. Maybe you should try to get to know her, see what she's like, see if she has what it takes to be a missus."

Timon stood and started to pace on Pumbaa's back. He folded his arms behind his back and shook his head. "Nah, with her looks, she probably already has a boyfriend."

"What if she doesn't?"

Timon stopped pacing, and then he tapped his foot, the speed of the tapping increasing with each passing second. He let out a frustrated groan and pulled on his ears to the point where they might rip off. "Oooh, I can't **_stand_** not knowing!"

"So go."

"I _can't_. She lives back in the Pride Lands and we just got back home. What kind of logical excuse would I give the colony so they wouldn't ask questions about me leaving again so soon?"  
"The truth?"

"Seriously, Pumbaa. What would I say?"

"You could say there's some things you need to take care of."

Timon scoffed, "Yeah, right. If Ma heard that, she'd wanna come along."

"Stop making excuses, Timon."

"I'm _not_ making excuses!" Timon retorted.

"Are too!" Timon jumped off Pumbaa's back and stared at Pumbaa straight in the face.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

Timon stood on his tiptoes to press his nose against Pumbaa's snout. "_Not, not, not!_"

Pumbaa pressed his snout against Timon's nose. "_Too, too, too!_" Pumbaa then grinned, "You're scared of rejection, that's why you're not going."

"**_Not!_**" Timon stamped his foot in the dirt.

"**_Too!_**" Pumbaa stamped his front right foot in the dirt.

"Oh, yeah? I'll show you, Porky! I'm going and that's _final!_ Cover for me!" Timon turned on his heels and marched in the opposite direction Pumbaa was facing. Pumbaa watched him march away, and then he grinned to himself.

"Just have to know which buttons to push," Pumbaa said to himself, then padded off in the opposite direction.

_To be continued..._


	3. By the Water Hole

:Hugs Jedi.: It's fans like you that give me the courage to continue writing! Y'all rock. :Nibbles on some of the donuts Jedi gave her, starts writing.: UPDATE: Removed _Grazin' In the Grass_ lyric, replaced with "La-la." 

Chapter 3:

Timon ran all night until he reached the outskirts of the Pride Lands. He panted as he reached the end of the desert, and then he dropped from exhaustion. He looked up at the sky and exhaled.

"Pumbaa, working that reverse psychology on me... _I'll get you for this!_" He swallowed and forced himself up. He decided to reserve what little moisture he had in his mouth and try to reach the watering hole. He stayed low in the grass, trying not to attract attention to himself. He lacked Pumbaa, so he had to be careful to avoid predators. He reached the watering hole and bent down to it to relieve his thirst. After he satisfied himself, he sat up and wiped his mouth with the back of his paw. "Well, as long as I'm here..." Timon started to walk off when he heard a familiar sound.

_"La-la, la-la, la-la, la-la..."_ Timon ducked behind the tall grass as Zuri came through the grass on the other side of the watering hole. She hummed a few more notes as she knelt down to the water and filled a nutshell half with water. She brought it to her lips and took a drink. Timon tilted his head to the side, then he shook his head.

"Now or never, Timmy boy..." Timon mumbled to himself. He was about to go back out into the open when he heard a voice.

"Zuri! Where are you?" Timon ducked back behind the grass as a handsome meerkat stepped out. "Ah, there you are."

Zuri rolled her eyes and uttered a small sigh. "Makali." She turned to face him and smiled sweetly. "Makali! Good morning." She stood and offered him the nutshell with water in it. "Thirsty?"

Makali pushed it back towards her. "No, thanks."

"Then what are you doing at the water hole?"

"Your father Shomari asked me to make sure you were still in one piece. You've been outside for more than 10 minutes."

Zuri sighed and rolled her eyes again. "I got tired of inhaling dirt and sneezing my head off. Is there a law that says I can't stay outside alone for more than 10 minutes?"

"Yeah... it's called the Food Chain."

"Makali..."

"Hey, I'm just trying to look out for my fiancé. What's wrong with that?"

Timon grimaced as he slapped a paw to his forehead, "I knew it. She's got a fiancé. I wasted a trip coming here."

Zuri sighed again, "Nothing's wrong with it... look, would you just leave me alone for a while more? I'll scream if I need rescuing."

Makali grimaced, "Fine. Don't stay out long." Makali turned and walked away. Zuri sighed a third time, then took another sip out of her nutshell. Timon shook his head and started to walk away. He kicked the dirt to let off a little frustration. Unfortunately the piece of dirt he was kicking was actually an earthed rock and that caused a stinging sensation on his toe.

"_Ye-ow!_" he cried out, then he hopped backwards on one foot while holding his other foot. "Ow, ow, _ow!_ That was dumb!" he said to himself, and then he yelped as he ended up falling backwards into the watering hole. He resurfaced and spat out some water. "And _that_ was dumber." He heard some laughter and turned to see Zuri was still standing there, putting a paw to her lips and giggling. He nervously smiled and climbed out. "OK, I think I made a mess out of myself enough today... guess I'll go home." Zuri continued to giggle as she walked around the water hole to meet Timon as he climbed onto the shore. She stared at him a moment and stopped laughing, putting on a serious face.

"_You_ again. Are you stalking me?" Zuri asked, furrowing her brow.

Timon shook some water off and started backing away from her. "What? Oh, _no!_ I was going to get a drink and then I saw you and I didn't want to give you the impression I was stalking you and--" Timon yelped again as he fell back into the water. Zuri put a paw over her mouth again, trying to suppress another giggle fest. Timon resurfaced and shook the water out of his fur again as he walked back onto shore. "I mean, if you recognized me while your boyfriend was here, he'd beat me 'til I was black and blue."

"You were listening in on my conversation, too?" Zuri put her paws on her hips. Timon gulped and held both of his paws up.

"Accident! Promise!"

"If you _must_ know, rogue--"

"The name's Timon," Timon interrupted, looking a bit annoyed being called 'rogue.'

"... Timon... Makali is not my boyfriend."

"OK, so Makali's your fiancé," Timon shrugged.

Zuri let out a disgusted sigh. "I _hate_ hearing those two words in the same sentence."

"You're engaged to a guy you don't even like?"

"My family is deep into tradition, including arranged marriages."

"That _can't_ be legal."

"Unfortunately, it is." Zuri shook her head. "Enough about my personal life. What are you doing here stalking me, rogue?"

"I'm not stalking and I'm _not_ a rogue! I'm still with my colony."

"Then why aren't you with them now?" Zuri asked, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"I'm, uh... shopping." Zuri cocked an eyebrow at him. "_What?_ The Pride Lands have good resources."

"Or maybe you really _are_ trying to get into my mob," Zuri pointed an accusing finger at Timon, poking him in the chest. Timon dusted her finger off his chest.

"Do I _look_ like I could take your father on? Look, feel this." Timon flexed his arm. Zuri looked closely and felt it.

"I don't feel any muscles."

"Exactly. No way I could get into another colony besides my own."

Zuri grinned and shook her head. "Yeah, you are pretty scrawny."

"Gee, thanks for putting it bluntly, sister," Timon grimaced, dusting his arm off.

"Zuri!" Timon and Zuri turned to see her father Shomari marching up to them. Timon gulped, held his paws up, and backed away from Zuri. "It's been over 20 minutes... why haven't you come back to the tunnels yet?"

"I'm meeting new people. Is that illegal now?" Zuri put her paws on her hips. Shomari looked Timon over a bit.

"With a rogue, it is," he said in a low voice.

"What is it with this family and the use of the word 'rogues?' I still belong to my colony!" Timon retorted.

Shomari pressed his nose up against Timon's. "Then go back to it and stay away from _my_ colony."

"There _is_ such a thing as a father being over-protective of his daughter, Shomari," Timon said in a low voice. Shomari looked at Timon hard, and then he stood up straight.

"Go back to the tunnel, Zuri."

"But Papa--"

"Since when do I have to _ask_ you twice?" Zuri looked her father over, and then turned and walked back through the grass. Shomari watched her go, and then he turned back to Timon. "Your name is...?"

"Timon."

"Timon. Before you even start to think about it, Zuri is already taken. So don't waste your time on her." He turned and walked away from Timon. Timon watched him disappear through the grass, and then he exhaled.

"Harsh... I wonder if Dad ever had this much trouble with Grandpa." He shook the rest of the water out of his fur and then stretched. "Well, I guess now I know she's not worth it. Didn't seem to like me anyway. Now I can go home and enjoy an earful from my mother about missing the party last night." He started to walk away, then he stopped when saw a hole suddenly form in front of him. "_Yah!_"

Zuri popped her head out of the hole. "Still here?"

"I was just leaving," Timon said, walking around the hole.

"Please, don't." Timon stopped, and then he looked down at her. "I never get to meet new meerkats, and I think we just got off on the wrong foot. I'd like to get together with you and compare colonies."

"But your father--"

"Don't worry about my father. We could get together sometime tonight when he and everyone else is asleep."

"You know, Zuri, my mother warned me about girls like you."

"Oh, come on, Timon... I wanna know what other colonies are like."

"Well... OK. Where?"

"Here's good. See you tonight." With that, Zuri ducked back into the tunnel, leaving Timon alone.

"Hmm... how am I going to blow the next few hours?" Timon asked himself. He looked towards Pride Rock, and shrugged. "Eh, why not?" He dusted his paws off and headed for Pride Rock. Tonight, he'll see what she's really like.

_To be continued..._

To the readers... I have a lot of time on my hands. That's why these chapters go up real fast.


	4. In Secrets

_Kari:_ Ha ha! My first intro with the stars! I'm honored!  
_Timon, Pumbaa, Zuri:_ :Are eating the banana cake and brownies from Mina and Sunrise.:  
_Kari:_ Wha--hey! I didn't officially give those to you!  
_Pumbaa:_ But Mina said she wanted us to have 'em.  
_Kari:_ Yeah, but she gave me the banana cake before she said I could give it to you if I didn't want it... and I want it.  
_Timon:_ :holds the plate of cake up to her, now half-eaten and with grubs all over the icing.: Do you still want it?  
_Kari:_ ... I'm suddenly ill. :Pushes the plate back to Timon.: At least tell me you didn't touch the milk from Mina and Sunrise or the ice cream from Neosun?  
_Zuri:_ Umm... :licks the milk mustache off her lips.:  
_Kari:_ I have a good mind to delete you, Zuri. :Makes a grab for the ice cream.: Ha!  
_Timon, Pumbaa, Zuri:_ :Pout, and then they struggle for the last glass of milk.:  
_Kari:_ Sigh... OK, now I think I'm ripping off Jedi's idea too much... within this chapter, a full song from my favorite Broadway musical Jekyll & Hyde! This song just... fit in this chapter. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.  
_Pumbaa:_ Look out!  
_Kari:_ :Gets the milk spilt on her, stares at the three.: Grr...  
_Timon:_ No use crying over spilt milk.  
_Kari:_ :sigh: While I'm thinking about it, I'd better say it: I don't own these guys... except for Zuri and her colony... and Pete.  
_Zuri:_ Let's just start this thing.  
_Kari, Timon, Pumbaa:_ Agreed. UPDATE: Removed lyrics. 

Chapter 4:

Timon spent the day at Pride Rock, sleeping mostly. He hadn't slept since he left Pride Rock the day before, so of course he was tired. When he walked into the cave in Pride Rock, all he did was give greetings, a bit of small talk, and then he went into a corner to sleep and asked to be woken up after the sun set. The sun had set about 20 minutes ago, so Kiara padded over to Timon and lightly nudged him with her paw.

"Hey, Timon. Wake up," she whispered. Timon smacked his lips and stretched out with a yawn.

"What time is it?" Timon asked as he sat up and tiredly rubbed his eye.

"Night. You told us to wake you up after the sun set."

Timon stood and stretched, his back making a soft crick. "Thanks, kid. I'll be back later." He started to walk out.

"Timon, what's this all about?" Kiara asked as she sat down and watched him head for the exit.

"Nothing big... I'm just going to compare colony behaviors with this meerkat I met yesterday. She's really curious."

Kiara cocked a brow and grinned. "_She?_"

Timon turned and blushed slightly. "Hey, just because she's a girl doesn't mean anything."

"Be on your best behavior, Timon," Kiara giggled. Timon gave her a look and then he continued to walk out. He descended down Pride Rock and carefully looked around the area. _Quiet. Clear. OK._ Timon made a mad dash to the water hole, and he didn't stop until he was a few inches from falling back into the water. He leaned his weight back and exhaled, escaping a cold bath again. He glanced around.

"Zuri?" Silence. He walked to the other side of the water hole and over to the hole Zuri appeared in earlier. "Zuri?" He jumped over the hole and looked down it. "Huh... guess her family's still awake." His ears perked when he heard a voice singing a small distance from there. He decided to investigate. He pushed some blades of grass aside to see Zuri was walking on top of a log with her arms spread out to keep her balance. She had not noticed Timon yet. Sheslowly sang to herself as Timon walked up to the log and looked up at her. "Zuri!" Zuri gasped and looked down at Timon. "You're late! We were suppose to meet at the water hole, not a log!" Zuri let out a sigh of relief.

"I thought you were Papa. It's Timon, right?"

Timon climbed up on top of the log. "Yeah... and you _are_ the same Zuri I met yesterday, right?"

Zuri resumed her balancing act. "Of course. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I thought you only sung happy carefree songs. That was kinda depressing."

"I sing carefree songs when I'm with the others, about the life I wanna have. I sing depressing songs when I'm by myself, about the life I actually have."

"I know how that goes."

"It's depressing. Arranged marriages, living in constant fear, can't really do what you want, no one listens to a word you say, threat of outsiders coming into the mob... you saw how Papa _loves_ rogues."

"I'm _not_ a rogue. How many times do I have to spell it out?" Timon watched her with a furrowed brow.

"He still thought you were. You know, threat of a younger meerkat trying to get into the colony, causing all sorts of trouble." Zuri dropped her arms to her side and stared out to the direction of her tunnels. "If a new member came into the mob, then at least it'd bring some new kind of excitement to my life."

"Someone like you doesn't have an exciting life?" Timon cocked a brow and grinned.

"Someone like me is just a face in the crowd, someone who doesn't count. I'm a nobody, Timon."

Timon cocked his head. "I think you're a pretty talented nobody, Zuri. I mean, you have a better singing voice than I do."

Zuri rolled her eyes as she turned around and started balancing back towards Timon. "How do you know that? You just met me."

Timon stepped to the side and ducked under her arms as she walked by him. "I've known you long enough to have seen you dance and heard you sing. What, do you have days when you only sing off-key or have two left feet?"

"Who doesn't?"

Timon folded his arms in front of his chest as he watched Zuri turn around and started to balance back towards him. "OK, then have you ever _heard_ anyone call you a nobody?"

"Well... no." Zuri's shoulders sunk when she realized Timon had a point.

"Then you're only putting yourself down, sister. You've been hanging around in crowds for too long." Timon stepped to the side to let her pass him. She stopped and looked at him, putting her paws on her hips.

"Did we come here to talk about my personal life? No, we came here to compare colonies."

"So we did."

"So, tell me about your colony, Great Timon." Zuri sat down and pulled Timon down with her.

"Funny you call me that... that's what my colony calls me."

"Really?" Zuri looked amused, not really believing him.

"I brought my family to a tropical oasis, a predator free environment. Waterfalls, vine swings, spas, bugs--" He stopped when Zuri held her paw up to him. She had an amused look on her face.

"Timon, no such place exists. I've only dreamt of places like that. That's what I sing every day to get the digging rhythm going. I guess the 60's were good for you, huh?"

Timon shook his head. "Anyway, before I found the oasis, I worked in the colony like any other meerkat, except I always broke the tunnels." He grimaced as Zuri fell onto her back laughing.

"I knew it, I just I _knew it!_ You don't look like you'd be a successful digger with those scrawny arms!" Zuri laughed. Timon looked at his arms briefly, furrowing his brow.

"They're not _that_ scrawny. Are you almost finished? I'd hate to have you miss something." Zuri let out a few more giggles as she sat up and nodded. "The only people who could stand being around me were my parents, but me and my dad always found something to argue about."

"I know what that's like," Zuri said as she rested her chin in her paw.

Timon looked at her a moment. "I'm sure Shomari means well. He doesn't want you to get into anything that could get you hurt. All fathers care for their kids."

"Yeah, sure..."

Timon shook his head and then looked up at the stars. "At least yours is still around physically. My father died saving me from a pack of hyenas."

Zuri cocked her head at him, a bit curious. "Really? Sorry to hear that. He sounds like that one meerkat, uh, what's his name...?"

Timon turned his eyes to her. "Fearless Buzz?"

Zuri smiled and snapped her fingers. "Yeah, that's it."

Timon nodded. "He was my father." Zuri arched a brow. "I mean it!"

"I don't know... you're telling me a lot of things that are too good to be true."

"Anyway, he told me to find a better life for my colony, so no one would have to go the way he did. And I did. We live in that oasis now and we're living the Hakuna Matata life."

"Altoona frittata?"

"It's _'Hakuna Matata.'_ It means 'no worries.'"

"Whatever you say... but I hope you realize I still don't believe you."

"Oh, yeah?" Timon stood and offered her his paw. "I'll take you there."

Zuri shook her head, making sure she heard that correctly. "W-What?"

"I'll take you to the oasis. It'll take all night to reach it if we go now..." Zuri stood on her own and walked away from him. She spread her arms out to balance out again.

"I can't go away... I don't want the colony to worry about me. I don't want to get in trouble. Papa gave me a stern talk about keeping away from you."

Timon spread his arms out and started to walk over to Zuri. "Come on, Zuri. What do you have here? A pushy father, a fiancé you don't even want, life in the Pit of Shame..."

Zuri turned around and found herself face-to-face with Timon. They both stopped. "A caring family." They stared at each other for a few moments. "I can't throw that away."

"A family who thinks you're a nobody?"

"They don't think--"

"But _you_ do because you're staying here." Zuri bit her lower lip, and then she sighed. Timon grimaced, and then he turned away from her. "Well, I know you don't think it counts, but _I_ think you're a pretty special nobody..." He gulped and softly blushed as he added, "And a pretty one, too." Zuri softly gasped and blushed, unsure of what to say. Timon cleared his throat and the blush dissolved away. "The offer's on the table. We've gotten off-topic again... so I guess I'll just be going." Timon slid down to the ground and started to walk away.

"...Timon?"

Timon stopped and looked up at her. "Yeah?"

"Do you mean that?"

"That I'm leaving? Yeah."

Zuri shook her head. "No, no, no. I mean what you said before you said you were going, before the 'we've gotten off-topic again.' Do you mean that?" Timon looked at up at her and nodded. "Really?"

Timon looked up at her for a few moments, and then he nodded, "_Really,_ really."

Zuri made a few motions with her paws, but didn't speak for a few moments. Then she smiled. "Thanks. I never had someone like you say such things like that before and mean it. It's... refreshing."

Timon grinned. "No problem." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Mind if I stop by again?"

"If you want. Same place tomorrow morning?"

Timon smiled and nodded. "Deal."

"Do you need a place to stay? I could find a place in the tunnel, but you'd have to get up before dawn."

"No, thanks... I have a place to crash. Good night."

"Sleep tight."

"Dream of bed bugs tonight." Timon then turned and walked away. Zuri watched him for a few moments, until he was out of sight.

"Dream of bed bugs tonight... that's cute." She tilted her head to the side and grinned. "He's different... I like him." Zuri slid off her log and started walking in the direction Timon went. "I wonder why I feel Ishould believe him? I guessI feel there's something different about him." She sighed and held herself. "Something different about _me..._" Zuri walked over to the watering hole and sat at the edge, letting her feet dangle over the water. Timon hadn't left yet... he watched Zuri through the blades of grass, watching her kick her feet in the water.He blew her a kiss and then turned and walked back towards Pride Rock. Zuri looked at her rippling reflection and reclined back to look at the stars. She smiled softly to herself as she finally stood and walked back towards her tunnel.

_To be continued..._


	5. Message From Timon

_Kari:_ Since people continued to give Timon, Pumbaa, and Zuri treats, I have to assure the readers that they enjoyed them. And... well...  
_Timon, Pumbaa, Zuri:_ ::Are cheering and eating the 300 pounds of grubs they received from Neosun.::  
_Timon:_ ::Scoops up a good handful of grubs and drops 'em on top of his brownie from Mina.:: I gotta tell ya, Kari, you keep writing, and we keep getting treats!  
_Zuri:_ ::Drinks the milk she got from Mina.:: Yeah, it's great!  
_Pumbaa:_ ::Pouts.:: Easy for _you_ guys to say... I haven't been in a chapter since Chapter 2. ::Sob.::  
_Kari:_ Oh, all right, Pumbaa... I'll write this chapter to star you and leave Timon and Zuri out until the next chapter.  
_Timon & Zuri:_ But we're the stars!  
_Kari:_ Hey, I gotta show everyone Pumbaa, Ma, and Max are still in this story.  
_Timon:_ Fine...  
_Zuri:_ As long as you share that big cookie from Jedi with Timon and me.  
_Kari:_ ::Rolls eyes.:: OK, fine. But the 6-pack, carrot cake, and Oreos are mine! I'm amazed you still have room with all those grubs... ::Picks 'em out of her hair and out of her shirt.:: I wonder how Meredith handled this...  
_Pumbaa:_ Grubs, grubs, grubs, grubs, grubs! _GRUBS!  
__Kari:_ Oh yeah... to Wishkres, I don't live near Altoona. I was using a rhyming dictionary and I couldn't find a lot that sounded right together. Originally was gonna use that "Altoona Frittata" line in _Son of Fearless Buzz_, but I ended up changing the storyline a bit. Tell ya what, I'll list some trivia up at the end of the chapter since you guys are so great... On with the fic!  
  
Chapter 5:  
  
Pumbaa nervously paced around in a circle. Timon had not come back yet, and he was starting to worry. He was running out of excuses to give Timon's mother about where her son was. Plus, the guilt of lying was starting to eat him up inside.  
  
"I don't know how much longer I can keep covering for Timon. He wasn't suppose to be gone _this_ long. Maybe he's making progress... or maybe he was eaten." Pumbaa stopped to whimper for a moment and sped his pacing up.   
  
"Pumbaa!"   
  
Surprised, Pumbaa turned and covered his head. "I don't know where Timon is! Please stop asking!" Pete walked over and cocked his head at Pumbaa. "Oh, hi, Pete."  
  
"Did I... catch you at a bad time?"  
  
"Uh... no. Why do you ask?" Pumbaa asked innocently.  
  
"... Nevermind. You've got a visitor."

"A visitor? Who?"

"Some snobby hornbill."  
  
"Snobby hornbill? Oh, it must be Zazu!" Pumbaa started to pad off in the direction Pete came from. Zazu was perched on a low branch, waiting for Pumbaa. When he finally came, Zazu flapped over to him.  
  
"Greetings, Pumbaa. I bring news from the Pride Lands," Zazu bowed. He then pulled Pumbaa down to his level. "I have a message for you from Timon."  
  
"You don't say..." Pumbaa looked around to make sure no one was around... he looked up as well, since the meerkats have been known to climb trees or recline in hammocks. When he was sure they were alone, he said in a low voice, "OK, start talking, bird. When's Timon coming back?"  
  
Zazu dusted his feathers off and then cleared his throat. "First of all, I think you should be grateful I flew all this way to give you this update. I was all but anxious to go, but it was a favor Timon asked of King Simba to send someone to give a message to you, and I would get here the fastest."  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Zazu. The message, please?"  
  
"Timon is staying in the Pride Lands a while longer, so he requests that you continue to cover for him."  
  
"**_WHAT?!_**" Pumbaa grabbed Zazu by the front of his feathers and shook him. "I _**can't**_ continue living this lie! I don't have any more excuses to give Timon's mother about--!" He noticed Zazu making a quiet motion with his feathers. Zazu pointed behind Pumbaa. Pumbaa looked and gulped. Timon's mother, Uncle Max, and Pete were standing there with their arms folded in front of their chests. He nervously chuckled and smiled. "When did you guys get here?"  
  
"When you started screaming," Pete said.  
  
"Would you mind explaining what that outburst was about?" Uncle Max asked.  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"_Pumbaa..._" the three meerkats said in unison. Ma stepped up to Pumbaa, whose back was still facing her.   
  
"I can't. Timon told me not to--" He yelped and fell forward, releasing Zazu from his grip. Ma was twisting Pumbaa's back leg hard. "Ow-oh-oh-_ohh!_ Let go! Let go!"  
  
"Say it, Pumbaa! Where is Timon? And don't tell me he's still in the latrine!"  
  
Pumbaa pounded his front hoof on the ground, unable to bear the pain any longer. "Uncle! _Uncle!_ He went back to the Pride Lands to get to know a meerkat girl named Zuri!" Ma dropped Pumbaa's leg, relieving Pumbaa of the pain.  
  
"A girl?" Ma walked around to meet Pumbaa's face, and then held onto his tusks. "My baby is meeting a _girl?_ _Without me?!_"   
  
"Yes..."  
  
"**_And you let him go alone?!_**"  
  
"I sorta, kinda encouraged him to go alone," Pumbaa mumbled under his breath. Ma stepped onto Pumbaa's snout and looked straight at him.   
  
"You... _encouraged_ him?"  
  
"Aww, c'mon, Mrs. Ma. She's part of another meerkat colony and Timon couldn't get her out of his head. I encouraged him to go so he wouldn't act mopey around here again. I was expecting him back by now, but then Zazu said he'd be staying longer."  
  
Ma got off Pumbaa's snout and started pacing. "He's staying longer? He just got back and he's _staying over there longer?!_ What's he _**doing**_ over there?!"  
  
"If he's staying longer, maybe he's making good progress with this girl," Pete said, tapping his chin.  
  
"Oh-ho, no. He's not making _**any**_ kind of progress unless _I_ personally approve of her!" Ma turned to Zazu, who was dusting himself off again. Ma grabbed onto him. "OK, Polly, start talking! What do you know about this Zuri?"  
  
"Very little, I swear! Your son hasn't even told Simba about her!" Zazu nervously said.  
  
"He hasn't even told Simba?" Pumbaa blinked, surprised.  
  
"It's apparent we're not going to learn anything about her here," Ma said as she pouted her lips a bit, looking like she's cooled down a bit. "You know, Pumbaa, I haven't been to the Pride Lands for a while..."  
  
"Oh, Mrs. Ma, you don't mean--!"  
  
Ma released Zazu from her grip, who then flew a few feet away from her. "I do. I'm going to the Pride Lands, and you're going to take me." She climbed onto Pumbaa's back and pulled on his ears. "Move it."  
  
"Hey, wait a minute here! You're not going anywhere without me _this_ time!" Uncle Max said as he walked up to Pumbaa.   
  
"We're not?" Pumbaa asked.  
  
"No! I'd like to see this meerkat who's gotten Timon so interested!" Pumbaa knelt down to let Uncle Max climb onto his face and onto his back. "That pup falling in love at first sight? Never heard of such a thing."  
  
"I'll stay here... you know, to keep the others from worrying too much," Pete said.  
  
"Thanks, Pete," Pumbaa said as he started to trot away from the oasis. Zazu took to the sky, following. While on the way, Pumbaa kept shaking his head, thinking, _Timon's gonna kill me when we get there..._  
  
_To be continued..._  
  
And for you, faithful readers, a small bit of trivia (or deleted scenes, whichever you wanna call it) from my first fic _Son of Fearless Buzz_. The first chapter started out about the same, except Pumbaa didn't know Buzz was Timon's father. The second chapter, however, Timon had reached his tunnels overnight alone and sadly sang the Ballad of Fearless Buzz to himself while looking at the memorial in the tunnels (like in the DVD deleted scene, not on the rock like in my fic). Ma came down, trying to console him with the "Altoona Frittata" line... didn't work. He asked her to leave him alone, and she did. She met Pumbaa on top, and finally revealed Buzz was her husband and Timon's father and began to tell one of their stories... from then I changed it to a more realistic thing where it took more than a day to reach the old tunnels, Timon was accompanied by Pumbaa and Ma (and later Simba), and Ma would tell stories on the way there. I think it worked better that way, don't you? - Until the next chapter, later!


	6. An Old Fight

Hey, guys! Chapter 6's up! Timon, Pumbaa, and Zuri are napping... what with the gummy worms, brownies, and leftover _Who Wants to Be King Of the Jungle_ grubs they've been eating, they're so full they're tired. Me, I'm pretty awake. And I'm loving the cake, chips, and gummy worms.   
  
BTW, I'm usually not good at mothers meeting son's girlfriends reactions (_I'm usually out of the room or something when my Ma meets my bro's girlfriends... even so, Ma's usually pretty open to it... can't wait to see how she is when/if I start bringing boys over_) so I'm sorry if Ma meeting Zuri isn't as funny as her reaction to Timon running off to meet Zuri.  
  
Chapter 6:  
  
The next morning, Timon bounded over to the log with a leaf platter of grubs over to Zuri, who was on her back laughing.  
  
"Oh, Timon, I've never met someone who told lies so good it made me laugh!" she laughed as Timon grimaced and offered her some grubs. She sat up and took a few beetles.  
  
"I'm not lying. I really _did_ raise a lion!" Timon said as he sat down next to her and bite the head off a beetle.  
  
"_Right,_ and he didn't try to eat you the moment he met you. Next you'll be telling me it was the king," Zuri said, still with a smile on her face.  
  
"Well, actually--" Timon stopped when Zuri started laughing again. Timon furrowed his brow at her. "Zuri, would you stop doing that?"  
  
"The _king!_ That's rich, Timon!"   
  
"I'm serious! I've been telling you the truth and the only thing you seem to believe is that I was a tunnel klutz."  
  
"Tunnel klutz is pretty obvious," Zuri said with a giggle. Timon grimaced once again. She sat up and tried to wipe the smile off her face. "But the rest? You tell me your father was the legendary Fearless Buzz, you tell me you found this gorgeous oasis you and your colony live in with no predators, you tell me you raised a lion cub who's now the 'king,' you tell me you fought off a pack of hyenas at the battle of Pride Rock, and you tell me you babysat the lion princess! What's to believe?"  
  
"I also have a warthog for a friend," Timon mumbled. Zuri let out a few more giggles. "You don't believe _that_ either?"  
  
"Oh, sure. I have a warthog for a friend, too," Zuri grinned, not really sounding conviencing.  
  
"Somehow I doubt that. What do I have to do to prove everything? You don't wanna come with me to the oasis, and the witnesses to these events are back there. So, you want me to bring one of the lions here?" Timon grinned, "Or maybe I can just take you to Pride Rock to show you."  
  
Zuri gulped, "Pride Rock? With the lions? The lions with the teeth and claws? The claws and teeth that hunt the little guys like us?"  
  
Timon kept his grin and reclined against the log. "Thought so. You're scared."  
  
Zuri furrowed her brow at him. "Am not."  
  
"Oh, yeah?" Timon cocked a brow at her. "Then why don't you come?"  
  
"Makali and Papa will come looking for me if I'm gone for more than 10 or 15 minutes, and it's almost time for me to go anyway." She stood and stretched. "I have no freedom."  
  
Timon pouted his lips out a bit, thinking. "What if we brought your whole colony to the oasis? Nothing to worry about there, so Makali and Shomari can give you a little breathing air."  
  
"... You keep talking about it, insisting to bring me there... like it's real."  
  
Timon stood and took a step over to her. "Because it _is._ Zuri, I've been trying to tell you that."   
  
"What would you do if I said yes?" Zuri watched his face to see if his face would turn colors. It remained the usual shade.  
  
"I'd say 'get ready for a new life.'"  
  
"... You're serious."  
  
"Do you believe me now?"  
  
Zuri looked up behind Timon and said, "Well, if that's him, I believe you about the warthog."  
  
"Huh?" Timon looked where she was looking and gulped. Pumbaa was standing over him, with Ma and Uncle Max standing on his head. Zazu landed next to Timon. Timon gave him a dirty look, to which Zazu helplessly shrugged and flapped away. Timon nervously chuckled, "Pumbaa, Ma, Uncle Max! Funny running into you here! I--"  
  
"Save it, Timon. Pumbaa told us everything," Ma said, folding her arms in front of her chest.  
  
Timon turned to Pumbaa, furrowing his brow at him. "Pumbaa, how could you? You were suppose to cover for me, as in, _don't tell the colony what I was really doing!_ And that _**especially**_ includes Ma and Uncle Max!"  
  
Pumbaa knelt down to Timon with his front hooves pressed together. "I'm **_so_** sorry, Timon! Your mother forced it out of me! _Please_ don't kill me!"  
  
"Well, what'd she do, twist your arm?"  
  
"My leg, actually." He looked at Zuri. "_Ooo,_ you're right, Timon. She _is_ cute... _Cuter_ than cute." Timon blushed as he put his paws on Pumbaa's mouth to keep him quiet.  
  
"_Ix-nay!_" Timon whispered. Pumbaa nodded, then Timon cleared his throat. Zuri blinked a bit and stepped up next to Timon. Ma and Uncle Max climbed down from Pumbaa's head. Ma immediately walked over and looked Zuri over, walking around her.  
  
"Are you Zuri?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, I am. And I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you're Timon's mother."  
  
"That's right. What are your intentions with my son?"  
  
"Intentions? What do you mean _'intentions?'_" Zuri blinked at her as Timon made some motions with his paws to make Ma stop. She looked at Timon, who immediately switched his motions to some stretching.   
  
"My little boy had just come home where he belongs and then he immediately leaves so he could come back here to meet you. And then we get a message saying he's staying longer." Zuri looked at Timon a moment, who nervously grinned. "So what are your intentions?"  
  
"I don't have any intentions... he was just trying to take me home with you to this 'predator-free oasis' he keeps talking about. I was waiting to see his face turn pale when I said I would."  
  
Ma then turned to Timon. "Do you invite every pretty face you see to the oasis, Timon? I thought you had higher standards than that."  
  
"I do! I only invited her because she has an extra unhappy life," Timon nervously replied.  
  
"Unhappy life?"  
  
"'Cuse us, Zuri." Timon pulled Ma over to the side. "Ma, this girl has a pushy father, an arranged marriage on the way, and because of all that and unable to make her own choices, she thinks she's a nobody... she needs a new life, and I'd like to give that to her."  
  
"Oh, Timon, that is so sweet," Ma said as she ran a paw over Timon's hair, trying to smooth it out.   
  
"Please don't do that."  
  
"Force of habit. That's still no excuse for you leaving home without telling us."  
  
"I couldn't help it! I couldn't stop thinking about her... even though I wanted to, Pumbaa had to stick his nose in and got me in this 'I _gotta_ know' feeling." Ma turned to Pumbaa and furrowed her brow at him.  
  
"Sorry," Pumbaa said with a sheepish smile.   
  
"Didn't Dad do anything like this for _you?_" Timon asked.  
  
"No. Your father and I didn't live on different sides of the desert."  
  
"Nothing that could get him and/or you in trouble at all?"  
  
Ma thought for a moment, and then grinned, "Well..."  
  
"Uh, forget it. I don't think I wanna know with that grin. OK, look. Could you look at her as a friend who is a girl and not a girlfriend? At this point, that's probably all she's gonna be."  
  
"Oh, all right, dear." Ma turned back to Zuri and walked towards her with a tight smile. "So, Zuri, what did Timon tell you about our oasis?"  
  
"First, I'd like to confirm if such a place exists," Zuri said, folding her arms in front of her chest.  
  
"Of course it does."  
  
Zuri blinked. "Seriously?"  
  
"Seriously," Uncle Max stepped in.  
  
"But he didn't really raise a lion by himself!" Zuri said, trying to prove Timon lied about something.  
  
"No, he didn't..." Pumbaa said.  
  
"I knew it," Zuri grinned as Timon furrowed his brow at her.  
  
"He had _me_ with him."  
  
"Huh?!"  
  
"Did I say 'I raised a lion by myself?' No," Timon said, grinning and folding his arms in front of his chest.  
  
"Then you really _can_ take me to this oasis you keep talking about?"  
  
"If you become brave enough to leave this life behind."  
  
"Leave this life... for a new one?" Zuri was silent for a few moments, and then was about to open her mouth when a distant voice broke the silence.  
  
"Zuri!"  
  
"Oh wonderful... my father's calling," Zuri said.   
  
"That voice sounds familiar..." Uncle Max said to himself. Timon went back over to Pumbaa and started to push against him.  
  
"Shomari's bad news. Let's get going to Pride Rock, OK? I'll meet you here later tonight, Zuri," Timon grunted as he pushed on Pumbaa.  
  
"_Shomari?_" Ma and Uncle Max both asked. On that note, Shomari pushed his way through the blades of grass.   
  
"Zuri, what are you doing--?" he began, then stopped when he noticed the company, Timon in particular. "Timon. I thought I told you to stay away from my daughter." He growled as he began to approach Timon. He stopped when Max and Ma stepped in front of Timon, keeping Shomari away.  
  
"Keep away from him, Shomari," Max said in a low voice.  
  
"We mean it," Ma added in a low voice.  
  
Shomari looked at the two of them for a few moments, and then growled. "This rogue belongs to _you?_"  
  
"Unfortunately, yes," Uncle Max said. Ma elbowed Max in the ribs, making him cough. "_What?_ I'm only telling him like it is."  
  
"Gee, thanks, Uncle Max. I'm getting warm fuzzies all over," Timon said flatly.  
  
"_'Uncle'_ Max? This pup is your nephew?" Shomari asked.  
  
"_Great_-nephew," Uncle Max corrected him, rubbing his ribs.  
  
"I really wish people would stop calling me a pup. I'm 5 years old now," Timon mumbled to Pumbaa and Zuri.  
  
"Looking good, too," Pumbaa mumbled back.  
  
"Can't argue with that," Zuri softly said with a grin.  
  
Shomari then turned his attention to Ma. "And I take it he's your...?"  
  
"My son," Ma said, nodding.  
  
"I thought so..." Shomari said, sneering at Timon. "The resemblance is unmistakable. You're the son of Fearless Buzz." Timon returned the sneer.  
  
"_**What?**_ You were telling the truth about that, too?" Zuri asked, almost screaming in disbelief.  
  
"Hey, I lie a lot, but not when I'm telling the truth," Timon said, folding his arms in front of his chest again.  
  
"Wait a second here..." Pumbaa said, looking at the group. "Mrs. Ma, Uncle Max, you _know_ this guy?"  
  
"His colony once tried to take over our colony," Uncle Max said.  
  
"**_What?!_**" Timon asked. Shomari reached over, grabbed Zuri by the arm, and separated her from the group.  
  
"Keep your boy away from my daughter. She's already been promised to someone and I intend to keep it that way," Shomari said.   
  
"I don't want to marry Makali!" Zuri tried to get out of Shomari's grip.  
  
"I don't really _care_ about what you want." Zuri pulled away from him.  
  
"Papa, I've had it! I don't want this life anymore! I want freedom, to make my own choices, choose whom I want to marry if at all!" She became quiet when Shomari threatened to backhand her.  
  
"Being with this _rogue_ has poisoned your mind. So long as he remains in the Pride Lands, solo outside privileges is now off-limits to you, Zuri."  
  
"That's not fair!"  
  
"You'd better rethink that and get with the times, Shomari," Ma said, narrowing her eyes.  
  
Shomari growled at her, "And if you want to keep your son _alive,_ you will leave things the way they are."  
  
Ma, amazing Timon a little, walked over and promptly slapped Shomari, causing him to growl again. "_No one_ threatens my son." Shomari released Zuri from his grip and made for Ma with full intention to fight with her. Timon quickly got between the two, holding his arms out.  
  
"Hey, cut it out! We don't need to draw blood to keep Zuri outside!" Timon said.  
  
"This is an old fight, Timon. A _very_ old fight... one that started before you were even born," Ma said.  
  
"I get it now." Timon turned to Shomari. "You don't want your daughter associating with a member of the colony that didn't let you in. Talk about beating a dead horse."  
  
"Stay out of this. This fight began before your existence, so get out of my way before the sight of you angers me furthur," Shomari hissed at Timon.  
  
"If you've got a beef with Ma, you've got a beef with me. I'm not letting you take Zuri back to that _mud hole_ you call a colony."  
  
"Stop this!" Zuri said as she stepped up in front of Timon and Shomari.   
  
"Would people _stop_ stepping in front of me?" Timon asked, a little annoyed.  
  
Zuri gave Timon a bit of a look, and then turned to her father. "This isn't necessary! Shomari, in case you haven't noticed, I'm a big girl now, so I can make my own decisions!"  
  
Shomari hissed at her, "Big girl or not, I am still your father. And as your father, I still have a say in whether or not I approve of your love interest..." He glared daggers at Timon, "And I don't like _this_ one."  
  
"Love interest?" both Timon and Zuri asked, looking at each other. Zuri quickly looked away, blushing softly.  
  
"Whoa-whoa-whoa! Back up! Did I say something out loud that I don't _remember_ saying?" Timon asked.  
  
"Well, you _did_ come all this way to learn more about her, Timon," Pumbaa said.  
  
"Because of _your_ reverse psychology, Pumbaa," Timon mumbled.   
  
"Yeah, but before that..."   
  
"It's practically written on your face, Timon," Uncle Max said, making Timon slightly blush and gulp. Zuri watched Timon a moment, but then Shomari yanked her away from him again.  
  
"I'm going to make this easy for you, Zuri. Either you do as I say, or the next time I see Timon near the tunnels or you, I will personally rip his throat out," Shomari growled. Timon put a paw to his throat and gulped.   
  
"Papa, you're being _way_ too extreme!"  
  
"Your actions are becoming way too extreme. Since he came into contact with this colony, you have deliberately disobeyed me. Now, you are going to marry Makali and forget about Timon. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
Zuri looked at Timon, then back to her father. She lowered her eyes. "... Yes, sir."  
  
"Zuri..." Timon began to step up to her, only to have Shomari pull her back from him. Timon looked past Shomari to Zuri, who lifted her eyes up to look at Timon. "Are you serious? You're going to marry Makali?"  
  
"I have to. I'm sorry, Timon. I guess I won't be going to your oasis after all." Shomari threw one last glare at the group, then took Zuri by the arm and dragged her back towards their tunnels. Zuri took one last sorrowful look at Timon as she disappeared through the grass. Timon watched after her, and felt a paw on his shoulder. He looked and saw it was his mother's.  
  
"I'm sorry, Timon. If Max and I hadn't--" Timon held his paw up to her and weakly smiled.   
  
"Hey, I'm better off without her, right? Just another Kovu and Kiara thing going on, but I don't think it would've worked out. The way you stormed over you weren't going to approve of the relationship either, right?"  
  
"Timon--"  
  
"C'mon, let's just go to Pride Rock and forget this ever happened," Timon said as he cheerfully started walking in the direction of Pride Rock. Pumbaa looked at Ma and Uncle Max.  
  
"He's in _so_ much denial," Uncle Max said as he watched Timon walk away.  
  
"The Nile? Isn't that in Egypt?" Pumbaa asked.  
  
"That joke is older than Uncle Max," Ma poked Pumbaa.  
  
"_Hey!_" Uncle Max protested.  
  
"Joke?" Pumbaa blinked.  
  
"Hey! Are you guys coming or not?" Timon called out to them. Pumbaa knelt down to let Ma and Uncle Max onto his back.  
  
"That poor girl... there must be some way we can get her father to agree to let her go her own way," Ma said as she tapped her chin.  
  
"Are you kidding? You know how much he hates our colony. He wouldn't even invite us to the wedding if we were the last colony in Africa!" Uncle Max said.   
  
_Gee, I hope this doesn't turn out to be a sad ending... _Pumbaa thought to himself as he trotted off after Timon.  
  
_To be continued..._


	7. Reach Inside

_Kari:_ Hey, look, the readers are here!  
_Timon & Pumbaa:_ :give a brief wave as they chow down on Mud and Bugs cereal, each having their own box:  
_Zuri:_ :drops a few gummy worms into hers.: I hope this chapter turns out better than the last one.  
_Kari:_ What are you talking about? The last chapter got good reviews. I actually got pocky!  
_Zuri:_ Yeah, but Papa's all threatening and stuff and I'm pretty much forbidden from seeing Timon.  
_Pumbaa:_ But Timon's right here.  
_Zuri:_ :puts a paw over her eyes.: I'm not _seeing_ him, am I?  
_Timon:_ See? She's tricky.  
_Kari:_ Just eat your cereal... this chapter has some more Jekyll & Hyde music in the background. Enjoy! UPDATE: Removed _Once Apon a Dream_ and _Someone Like You_ lyrics.

Chapter 7:

Timon sat at the edge of Pride Rock, letting his feet dangle over the edge. He had some pebbles rolling around in his paws and tossed a few over the edge, watching them fall to earth. He sighed and looked at the rising moon. He then looked up at the stars.

"Dad, what am I suppose to do? You never had this much trouble with Ma. Should I just forget about Zuri and let fate run its course?" Timon asked. He felt the wind brush against his fur, and in a way it comfort him a bit. "But I can't forget her. I..." He looked down towards Zuri's tunnels, almost expecting to see her. He couldn't. Timon sighed and ran a paw through his hair. "I don't _wanna_ forget about her."

Zuri walked outside of her tunnel with Makali close behind. She walked over to the water hole with her nutshell, scooped some water up with it, and took a drink. She offered it to Makali, who took it. As he took a drink, she looked towards Pride Rock. After the drink he followed her to the log Timon and Zuri had been meeting. She climbed on top of the log and started to balance on it, remembering the other night when they were together, talking about her life and their colonies. She closed her eyes as she thought about that night, a few images replaying in her mind.

_"Have you ever_ heard _anyone call you a nobody?... You're only putting yourself down, sister... I'll take you to the oasis... What do you have here? A pushy father, a fiancé you don't even want, life in the Pit of Shame..._ I _think you're a pretty special nobody... and a pretty one, too,"_ Timon's voice rang in her head as she replayed that night's events in her head. She reopened her eyes and looked towards Pride Rock, suddenly feeling so alone.

Timon looked down in the direction the log and thought to himself what happened that night.

_"I sing depressing songs when I'm by myself, about the life I actually have... Arranged marriages, living in constant fear, can't really do what you want, no one listens to a word you say... Someone like me is just a face in the crowd, someone who doesn't count... A caring family. I can't throw that away... I never had someone like you say such things like that before and mean it. It's... refreshing,"_ Zuri's voice rang in his head. Timon shook his head and sighed.

Zuri shook her head and sighed, sliding down the log.

"You're not thinking of that rogue, are you?" Makali asked.

"Timon? I'm trying not to," Zuri said, her head bowed down.

"You can't believe everything he says. How do you know he actually has such a paradise home?"

"It was just something in his eyes... that made me _want_ to believe him."

"You're so desperate for a better life, you'd believe anything. Your problem, Zuri, is you're too trusting." Makali walked ahead of her. Zuri grimaced and slowly followed. She took another look at Pride Rock.

"Good night, Timon," Zuri said softly as she blew a kiss towards Pride Rock and headed back into the tunnel.

Timon was looking down towards her tunnels. "Sleep tight, Zuri," Timon softly said. He felt someone walked up behind him and laid down. "Can't a guy mope alone?" He turned to see it was Kiara.

"Moping won't get you anywhere," she said, resting her chin on her paw. "Do you love Zuri, Timon?"

Timon felt his heart leap into his throat. He swallowed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Love?"

"Yes. Do you love her?"

Timon put a paw over his eyes, rubbing them. He slowly dragged it over his face, thinking. Then he put the paw over his heart. "Yeah... I think I do."

"Then take action."

"Like what? I tried asking my father, but..." Timon motioned up to the stars. "He's become the strong silent type lately."

Kiara looked up at the stars and softly grinned. "Well... the Pride Landers and Outsiders were once two separate prides until Kovu and I brought them together into one. Why can't you and Zuri do the same?"

"And form a pride?"

Kiara let out a few giggles, "No... I mean, form a mob."

Timon stood and turned to face her. "That won't work! Her colony still holds a grudge about my colony beating them! You'd think they'd wanna live under the same treetops without killing each other?"

"Well, that's about the best advice I can give you. To me, this situation is almost identical to the Outsider situation. Maybe the same solution--"

"Kiara, seriously."

"Well, seriously, unless you and Zuri do something soon, you'll never be together." Kiara stood and walked back into the cave. Timon watched her leave, and then he rubbed his chin, thinking.

Kiara walked over to Pumbaa, who was on his back, sleeping. Ma and Uncle Max were leaning against him, but were still awake.

Ma looked up at her. "Well?"

"I think he's thinking about it," Kiara said. "I'm not exactly the best at giving advice..."

"Maybe not, but here he comes," Uncle Max pointed to the entrance. They turned and saw Timon walking towards them. He walked over to Pumbaa and poked him in the ribs.

"Wasn't me," Pumbaa said with a soft grunt as he woke up.

"C'mon, Pumbaa, I need you to give me a lift," Timon said as Pumbaa rolled onto his stomach, allowing Timon to climb onto his back.

"And where are you going _now?_" Uncle Max asked as he and Ma watched him.

"I'm gonna try to bring peace to these colonies. Let's go, Pumbaa." Pumbaa nodded and trotted out with Timon.

Meanwhile, Zuri was lying in her nest, staring up at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep. The day's events had upset her too much. She sighed and rolled over onto her stomach. She was told to forget about Timon, but how could she? He was different, he made her laugh, and made her dream... he understood her, her wants, and her needs. How could she possibly forget someone like that? She stood and stretched, yawning. She decided to take a walk around the tunnels.

"Zuri?" Zuri stopped and sighed when she saw Makali walk up behind her.

"What do you want now, Makali? Can't I even take a walk in the tunnels alone?" Zuri asked, a bit annoyed.

"I'm only making sure you don't go out looking for that rogue--"

Zuri growled as she promptly slapped him, "He is **_NOT_** a rogue!" Makali put a paw on his redden cheek as Zuri continued. "Just because of what his family did to ours, we're treating him like a rogue?"

Makali looked her over for a moment, almost reading her mind. "So what makes him better than me?"

"I'll give you three things. One, he has a personality. Two, he has a sense of humor..." She glared up at Makali when he looked away from her, and then Zuri tapped his chin to get his attention. "And three, he actually listens."

"And what do _I_ have that he doesn't?"

"The only thing I care that you have that he doesn't is me," Zuri said as she lightly pushed him away from her. "Now would you give me some breathing room? Just because we're engaged doesn't mean we're joined together at the hip."

Makali did what he was told, but not happily. "Just remember, I'm not letting you go... especially to the son of Fearless Buzz."

"What's wrong with Fearless Buzz? He was a hero!"

"He was the reason we lost those tunnels in the Kalahari, so he was a hero to _his_ colony. Trying to prove meerkats shouldn't stay underground, he attacked a hyena and he was killed. There's nothing heroic about that."

Zuri stared at him for a few moments before she said in a low voice, "It is when he died saving his son's life. That's more than _you've_ ever done." They exchanged stares, and then Zuri finally walked away from Makali. She stood under one of the tunnel exits to see the moon, which was halfway past the first quarter. "Oh, Timon... I'm sorry I didn't leave with you sooner. Maybe that could've spared us both the pain," she softly said to herself, and then started to turn and leave. She stopped when she heard footsteps above.

"Zuri?" She immediately ran back to see whom it was. Timon was peering down into the tunnel. "Hey."

"Timon. You can't be here. If someone sees you--"

"I won't be long. I'm gonna find a way to get our colonies together."

"There's no way, as much as I'd like to believe there is." She climbed up the tunnel to meet Timon a bit closer. "I'm going to have to marry Makali the next full moon. That's in 3 days."

"Which is probably something you're not looking forward to. Honestly, I'm not either. I have a plan... but I'll have to leave the Pride Lands for a day or two."

"You _are_ coming back, right?"

"Hakuna Matata," Timon winked.

Zuri blinked, then shook her head. "Just hurry, OK? I _really_ don't wanna marry Makali."

Timon leaned forward, supporting his weight on his forearm. "Frankly, I wouldn't either."

Zuri let out a laugh. "That's what I like about you, Timon. You make me laugh."

Timon grinned, "I try my best."

"Now try your best in coming back before the full moon, OK?"

"I doubt it's gonna take that long. Sit tight." Timon began to stand, but Zuri reached up and grabbed onto his arm. He settled back down, waiting to hear what she had to say. He took a moment to feel her fur. "Wow, you _do_ have soft fur." He noticed she blushed slightly, and then he nervously grinned. "Did I just say that out loud?"

Zuri cleared her throat, "OK, I gotta know, Timon... _why_ are you doing this for me?"

"Uh... well... 'cause I want to?" Timon nervously replied.

Zuri grinned and arched a brow. "_Timon..._"

Timon gulped, "... Uh... well... I..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "What was the question?"

Zuri grinned as she climbed up further and kissed him on the cheek. "Never mind. I think I know what you're saying."

A quick flash of red came to Timon's cheeks. "Glad to off it. I hear to be need now." He shook his head to clear it. "I-I-I mean, 'glad to hear it. I need to be off now.'" Timon backed away from the tunnel, tripping backwards. He nervously smiled as Zuri let out another laugh. "I'll hurry back. Promise." He blew her a kiss and then climbed back onto Pumbaa's back, who was waiting nearby. He tugged on his ears and took off. Zuri watched them leave, and then she dropped back down to the tunnels. She headed back to her nest, trying to cover the smile on her face. She entered her nest and laid on her back, staring up at the ceiling, now confident something good will happen. She smiled and closed her eyes, allowing sleep to finally take over.

_To be continued..._


	8. Help Wanted

_Timon:_ Yoo-hoo! I _love_ you, Kari! ::Hugs the industrial-sized box of Mud and Bugs with pray-mantises from Jedi.::   
_Pumbaa:_ ::Pops out of the box.:: Yay!   
_Kari:_ ::Munching on a muffin.:: Yeah, it's amazing... when I first started this, I was really worried I wouldn't receive the same praises I got from _Son of Fearless Buzz._ But judging from all the treats we've been getting, I'm doing a pretty good job. _Yatta!   
__Zuri:_ ::Sniffs a stick of pocky.:: What's this thing?  
_Kari:_ Japanese wheat cracker treats dipped in chocolate or strawberry call pocky. It's a major favorite treat among Anime fans.  
_Zuri:_ ::Makes a pocky-ka-bob with bugs and eats it.::  
_Kari:_ What a waste... OK, here's the next chapter, which excludes Zuri for now.  
_Zuri:_ _**WHA--?!  
**Kari:_ Sorry, Zuri, but what I had planned for this chapter didn't include you physically.  
_Zuri:_ ::sniffle.::  
  
Chapter 8:  
  
Pumbaa trotted across the desert all night, Timon lying on his back, looking up at the stars. Timon rolled onto his stomach, letting his arms and legs dangle on the warthog's sides. He let out a small sigh.  
  
"Are you OK, Timon?" Pumbaa finally asked.  
  
"OK? I'm _better_ than OK, Pumbaa. I think I'm in _love,_" Timon replied, sounding a little dazed.   
  
"Oh... well, good for you, Timon," Pumbaa said, sounding a little down.   
  
Timon caught wind of this and sat up. "Aww, chin-up, Pumbaa! There's someone out there for everyone... hey, maybe even Zuri's warthog friend is female."  
  
"I thought you said she said she had a warthog for a friend in a joking way when you said you had a warthog for a friend."  
  
"Could you put that into English?"  
  
"You said she was lying."  
  
"Oh. Well... yeah, you're right, I did. OK, OK, but just remember, you're not the only warthog in the savanna."  
  
Pumbaa perked up, "Yeah, you're right, Timon. Look, we're here!" Timon climbed to the top of Pumbaa's head and smiled when he saw the oasis in sight. "Bringing the colony back to the Pride Lands... do you think it'll work?"  
  
"No, but it's all I've got to go on. I gotta try to bring these two colonies together and bury the hatchet, or Zuri's gonna marry Makali in two days." Timon shook his head to clear his head of that nasty thought. "So, forward march!" Pumbaa ran towards the oasis.   
  
Pete was sitting in the tops of the outer trees, then squinted when he saw Pumbaa coming. "Pumbaa?" He grabbed onto a vine and climbed down. "Pumbaa! Over here!" Pumbaa skid to a halt before running Pete over. Timon had ducked down. "What are you doing back so soon? Where are Max and--?" He noticed Timon's paws still gripping onto Pumbaa's ears, and grimaced. "You know, Pumbaa, you've got some odd looking _ticks_ on your ears."  
  
Timon's head shot up and looked around Pumbaa's ears. "Ticks? Where? I'm starved." He gulped when he realized he was tricked out of hiding as Pete folded his arms in front of his chest. "Heh heh heh... heya, Pete!"  
  
"Got rejected, didn't you, Timon?" Pete asked with a cocked brow.   
  
Timon furrowed his brow at Pumbaa. "Pumbaa, you told Pete, too? Who else did you tell?"  
  
"Nobody, I swear, Timon! He was there when your mother twisted my leg!" Pumbaa whimpered.   
  
"The only ones who know are your mother, Max, and me. While you were off chasing girls, Timon, I had to keep the others from finding you out, thus embarrassing you further."  
  
"Gee, thanks, Pete," Timon said as he slid off Pumbaa and walked over to Pete. "I need you to do me another favor, OK?"  
  
"I've run out of excuses, so don't you be running off again!"  
  
"No, no, nothing like that. I need you to gather everyone together at the big tree for a meeting."  
  
"OK, gather everyone together. I can do that." Pete nodded to himself and took off.   
  
"And while he's doing that..." Timon said as he schemingly rubbed his paws together. Pumbaa went over to the stream for a drink as Timon went to work. Timon ran over to a tree, removed a large piece of bark, and grabbed the grubs lying underneath. "Oasis Grubs... I haven't had any in almost a week... chow time!" He shoved the whole pawful into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. He licked his paws off and smiled, satisfied.   
  
"Good to be home, huh, Timon?" Pumbaa asked.  
  
"Oh, _yeah..._ I hate to leave again so soon twice, but..." Timon pulled a beetle leg out of his teeth and discarded it as he walked off after Pete. "Love calls." Pumbaa followed close behind. When all the meerkats were accounted for, Timon climbed on top of one of the tree's high roots, overlooking everyone. "OK, everyone, I have an announcement to make! First, I wanna know that you're all listening and not just taking bites out of a beetle when I'm not looking." Timon furrowed his brow at one meerkat who had his paws behind his back and his cheeks expanded. "... Right. Anyway, I must confess I was not here most of the week."  
  
"Yeah, we figured _that_ out right away!" a meerkat called out. A few other voices agreed.  
  
"... Right. I had returned to the Pride Lands to meet this meerkat girl I saw the day before."  
  
"A girl from another colony? Are you _crazy,_ Timon? Did they treat you like a rogue?" a second meerkat asked.  
  
"He _was_ a rogue when he left the colony..." a third meerkat said.  
  
"I take offense to that, Stumpy." Timon paced around on the root a bit, running his paw through his hair. "OK, OK, just come out and say it, Timmy boy," he mumbled to himself. He inhaled and then turned back to the group. "OK, bottom line... I need you to come back with me to the Pride Lands to settle an _itty bitty_ dispute we have with this girl's colony."  
  
"Itty bitty dispute? Timon, I thought this colony and Shomari's have a _major big_ dispute," Pumbaa blurted out, to which Timon slapped his paw over his eyes. "_Oooh,_ you wanted to say it in a different way, didn't you?"  
  
"Umm... yeah."  
  
"**_Shomari?!_**" members of the colony shouted.  
  
"You've _**got**_ to be kidding us! This girl you've come to like is in _**Shomari's**_ colony?!" Pete asked as he climbed up onto the root to meet Timon.  
  
"Kinda..." Timon said, twiddling his fingers a bit.  
  
"'Kinda?' Is she, or not?"  
  
"She's Shomari's daughter," Timon said in a mumbled cough.  
  
"His _**daughter?!**_ What is wrong with you, Timon?! Your so-called girlfriend is the daughter of the colony that nearly took over our own!" Pete said, grabbing Timon by the arms and shaking him a bit.   
  
Timon pulled out of Pete's grip, and then rubbed his arms. "Did you have to grip me so hard? I'm gonna have bruises there."  
  
"That's the _least_ of your worries."  
  
"Well, how was _I_ suppose to know? No one's ever told me about this feared colony of Shomari. I didn't know until Ma and Uncle Max came bursting into the scene."  
  
"How could you not--?"  
  
"Before I was born, remember?"  
  
"Yeah, fine, we'll give you that," Pete said, folding his arms in front of his chest. He turned to face the colony. "OK, we'll vote. All those in favor of going to the Pride Lands to meet with Shomari, say 'aye.'"  
  
"Aye!" Pumbaa cheered out, then he ducked down when he received a few dirty stares from the colony.  
  
"All oppose?"  
  
"Nay!" the rest of the meerkats called out.  
  
"There you have it, Timon," Pete said, turning his eyes to Timon.  
  
"So that's it then? You're not going to meet this old colony to make nice, not even as a personal favor to your savior?" Timon asked his colony.  
  
"Pretty much, yeah," a few mumbles from the crowd were heard.   
  
Timon stared at them for a moment, and then let his shoulders sink. "I see. Guess I wasted a trip here," he said as he slid down the root back to the ground. He walked past a few meerkats over to Pumbaa. "I guess we'll have to think of something else, Pumbaa." Pumbaa knelt down to let Timon onto his back.  
  
"Back to the Pride Lands?" Pumbaa asked.  
  
"Back to the Pride Lands." Pumbaa turned around and started to walk away. As they started to disappear, Timon shouted back at the mob, "Yeah, nice to know who your **_real_** family is! Thanks for **_nothing,_** guys!"  
  
"Uh, good luck, Timon," Pete awkwardly waved at him. Timon grunted, and then turned back to face the direction Pumbaa was walking. The meerkats coughed a few times, now a bit guilty for turning him down.  
  
"What'd you do that for, Timon?" Pumbaa asked as they walked out of the oasis.  
  
"Guilt trip. Maybe if we're lucky, they'll come running towards the Pride Lands anyway."  
  
"What if they don't?"  
  
"Improvise, I guess. I'll think of something... I hope." Timon looked up to the sky as Pumbaa continued on.   
  
_To be continued..._


	9. Message To Timon

_Kari:_ Well, aside from the lack of a lot of humor and cuteness, Chapter 8 still got a few good reviews.   
_Zuri:_ Oo, good, my emails must've gotten through.   
_Kari:_ ...  
_Zuri:_ Kidding! I just said that because I wasn't in the last chapter.  
_Kari:_ Yeah, well... hopefully we'll get more by the time I put this chapter up.   
_Timon:_ Hey, look on the bright side... we've got more cereal, cakes, and pocky!  
_Pumbaa:_ ::pushes in the wagon with the treats.:: We get the best treats!  
_Ma:_ ::walks into the scene.:: Hey, what are you guys doing? ::looks up at the pile of treats.:: Timon, you haven't been snacking in-between meals again, have you?  
_Timon:_ Ma! No, this is just cereal... late breakfast. ::holds up one of the older boxes they didn't throw away.:: See? It has Pumbaa's and my pictures on it.  
_Ma:_ Oh, you look so handsome, Timmy. So, can you explain the cakes and brown and pink sticks?  
_Pumbaa:_ Uh... those are Kari's.  
_Ma:_ ::stares at Kari.:: Does your mother know about this?  
_Kari:_ She hasn't been reading along... as I write this, she still hasn't finished reading _Son of Fearless Buzz._ ... How much to keep you from spilling the beans?  
_Ma:_ You can pass me a piece of that cake and a bowl of that cereal.  
_Zuri:_ I'll go grab the milk.  
_Kari:_ Eh, why not? Pass a bowl over here, Pumbaa. While we chow down, you readers begin reading Chapter 9!  
  
Chapter 9:  
  
Zuri walked through her tunnel, humming to herself as she passed by her father's nest. She stopped when she noticed Makali was in with him. She decided to give them the impression she had forgotten Timon, so she walked in.  
  
"Good morning!" she said cheerfully to them. She walked over to Shomari, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him on the cheek. "Morning, Papa."  
  
"Morning. You're in a good mood today, Zuri," he said.  
  
"Why shouldn't I be? Sun's shining, I can go outside by myself... everything's _wonderful,_ Papa."  
  
"Good. You've forgotten about that rogue?" Makali asked.  
  
Zuri pretended to play dumb. She grinned as she strolled over to Makali and kissed him on the cheek. "What rogue?"  
  
"Never mind. Excited about the wedding?"  
  
"You bet."  
  
"Good... Makali and I were just discussing about moving it up," Shomari said. That brought a frown to Zuri's face.  
  
"W-What?"  
  
"Yeah. We were thinking of moving it to tonight, actually," Makali nodded.  
  
"Oh, I see. Uh... why so soon?"  
  
"Being wed under a full moon... too traditional. You wanted me to stop being so traditional, didn't you, sweetie?" Shomari asked, cocking a brow.  
  
"Well, yes, but--"  
  
"But...?"  
  
"But tonight? I'm not ready for a wedding tonight."  
  
"Oh, you let us worry about that, beautiful. All you have to do is show up," Makali said as he gently pushed Zuri's back to send her on her way. "Why don't you go out and enjoy the fresh air?"  
  
"Well... I'll be _less_ ready if you keep pressuring me."  
  
"Oh, all right... we'll wait for you to scream before we come after you. Just don't stay out all day!" Shomari called after her.   
  
"Thanks, Papa..." Zuri said as she continued walking down the tunnel. She climbed out of the tunnel and started pacing. "_Tonight?_ By the time Timon gets back, he'll be too late! What'll I--?" She stopped when she looked towards Pride Rock. She gulped, "Maybe I can get a messager. Timon said he was staying over at Pride Rock, so if I tell the lions I know him... C'mon, girl, you gotta be brave..." She inhaled deeply a few times, and then raced towards Pride Rock. When she reached the bottom, she stopped to pant a moment. She looked at the climb ahead and gulped. "Why couldn't they live on the ground like normal animals?"  
  
She saw a shadow loom on the stonewall in front of her, and she froze. "It's got a great view," a voice behind her said.   
  
With wide eyes she slowly turned and looked up at the animal with the shadow. There stood a lion with a black mane and a scar over his left eye. "L-L-L-L-Li-Li-Li-Li-" Zuri stuttered.  
  
"Um... lion?" the lion asked.  
  
"Yes. Thanks." Zuri inhaled and screamed. The lion winced at her scream and covered his ears. Zuri dropped down to her knees and put her paws up in a pleading manner. "_Please,_ don't eat me! I need to speak with the king!"  
  
"About what?"  
  
"I know the king has a hornbill, so he could reach Timon faster than I could!"  
  
"You know Timon?"  
  
"Yeah, so I... I... I... Ay-yi-yi..." Zuri froze again when she noticed two more lions step up next to the other lion. One was Simba, the other was Kiara.  
  
"Kovu, who's the meerkat?" Kiara asked.   
  
"She says she knows Timon," the black maned lion replied.   
  
Zuri whimpered when Simba bent down to her level, taking a good look at her. "L...Li...Li..." She rolled her eyes back into the back of her head and fainted.  
  
_..._  
  
Zuri woke up inside the lion's cave, where she noticed the same lions looking down at her. She sat up and screamed. The other lines winced at the scream, and then Zuri closed her eyes tightly and covered her head. "Don't eat me! I need to speak with the king! I _have_ to get a message to Timon!"  
  
Kiara rubbed her ears, "She's got some good lungs."  
  
Kovu rubbed his ears. "Are my ears bleeding?" Kiara looked, and shook her head.  
  
Simba looked down at Zuri. "I'm the king. What's this about a message to Timon?"  
  
Zuri opened an eye to look at Simba. "The king?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"... Did Timon really raise you from a cub with his warthog friend?"  
  
"Yes, he did."  
  
"**_What?!_** He told the truth about that, too?! Unbelievable!" Zuri stood and put a paw on her hip, now more annoyed than she was scared. "I've never known a man to tell the truth so much. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not."  
  
Simba and Kovu chuckled as Kiara giggled. "Now, what's this about a message to Timon?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, right!" Zuri stepped up to Simba's face, leaning her weight on his nose. "My father moved my wedding up to tonight instead of two days from now. Timon doesn't know and he had some kind of plan to get me out of it, but he had to leave the Pride Lands."  
  
"Where did he go?"   
  
"He didn't tell me, but he said he'd be gone a day or two." Ma and Uncle Max walked into the cave, each carrying half of an eggshell.  
  
"Oh, she's finally awake," Ma said as she walked over. She offered the egg to Zuri. "Bird egg?"  
  
Zuri politely pushed it back. "No thanks... hey, do you know where Timon went to?"  
  
"Yeah, he said something about bringing peace to the colonies, so he's probably at the oasis by now," Uncle Max said as he slurped down the whole egg.  
  
"You're away from the tunnels... why don't you just leave?" Ma asked, putting a paw on Zuri's shoulder.  
  
"I don't want to leave the colony like that. I want my father and the others to approve of Timon before I decided to leave." Zuri turned to Simba, put her paws together in a pleading manner. "Please, sire. Can you do this for me? If not for me, then as a favor to Timon?"  
  
Simba looked at her for a moment, then he turned towards the exit. "Zazu!"  
  
Zazu flapped into the cave, landed, and bowed to Simba. "Yes, sire?"  
  
"I need you to go to Timon and Pumbaa's oasis and tell him to hurry back to the Pride Lands. Zuri's wedding has been moved up to tonight."  
  
"Back to the oasis? Oh, but sire--"  
  
Ma grabbed Zazu by the front of his feathers. "Don't talk back to your king, Banana Beak! _Get flapping!_"  
  
"That's _Mr._ Banana Beak to you, madam," Zazu shot back.  
  
Ma pulled Zazu down to her face and growled, "It'll be the **_LATE _**Mr. Banana Beak unless you go and give that message to my Timmy!"  
  
Zazu gulped and then started flapping. "Which way was it? That way? Oh never mind, I'll ask directions!" Zazu flew out of the cave quick-like. "Oh, Mr. Timon! Mr. Pumbaa!"  
  
Zuri looked at Ma, a bit amazed. "Wow... you need to tell me how to do that."  
  
Ma smiled at her, "If all goes well, I will."  
  
"Here's hoping... I should get going before Papa thinks I was eaten or something." Zuri bowed to Simba, and then scurried out.   
  
"Do you think Timon'll make it back in time, Daddy?" Kiara asked Simba.  
  
Simba watched Zuri leave and said, "If it's meant to be, he'll find a way."  
  
_To be continued..._


	10. The Big Night

_Kari:_ Sweet, the readers are back! Sorry it took longer than usual... I've been abducted by my father to help him do gardening ::shudder:: and I rented a video game and it's become majorly addicting. But I'm here now and we can resume the fic!  
_Zuri:_ ::off-page, knocking on a door.:: Timon, would you come out of there? The readers are here!  
_Timon:_ ::behind the door.:: Uh-uh! If Kari could make 2 chapters without me, she can make _3_ chapters without me!  
_Kari:_ Oy. Sorry about Timon. He's kinda upset with me for not putting him and Pumbaa in the last chapter. Pumbaa's more forgiving, I guess.  
_Zuri:_ ::walks back.:: What can we do? We can't start the chapter without Timon!  
_Kari:_ Bribe. ::Hands Zuri a picture.:: Coax him out with this.  
_Zuri:_ ::looks at picture, smiles, and then walks back over to the door.:: Timon, if you come out, you get to see strangesheelf's fan art of you and me.  
_Timon:_ ... Fan art? Of you and me? You're not yanking my tail, are ya?  
_Zuri:_ You won't know unless you come out.  
_Timon:_ ... Oh, I can't _**stand**_ not knowing! ::Comes out, snatches the picture from Zuri.:: Ooo.  
_Pumbaa:_ ::comes in from behind Timon, looks at the picture.:: Awww, look how cute you are together.  
_Timon:_ ::takes a mirror out, looks at his nose.:: Is my nose really _that_ big?  
_Kari:_ Actually, I think she made it smaller.   
_Timon:_ Hey!  
_Kari:_ Well, since we got you out here, we can start.

Chapter 10:  
  
"**_WHAT?! THE WEDDING'S TONIGHT?!_**" Zazu had found Timon and Pumbaa heading back towards the Pride Lands. They were halfway there when Zazu landed in front of them and given them Zuri's message. Timon had a good, strong grip on the front of Zazu's feathers, growling at him. "You'd better not be yanking my tail, bird brain! I'm _**not**_ in the mood for jokes!"  
  
"'Bird brain'?! I take offense to that, meerkat!" Zazu retorted.  
  
Timon pressed his nose to Zazu's beak and clenched his teeth. "Answer the question. Are you, or are you not yanking my tail?"  
  
Zazu gulped, "Which do you want me to say?"  
  
Timon dramatically tossed Zazu to the side and pulled on his ears as he strolled back over to Pumbaa. "_He's not yanking my tail!_" He fell forward, catching himself on Pumbaa's tusk. "Zuri's getting married tonight and I don't have a plan! Pumbaa, what'll I do?"  
  
"Panic?" Pumbaa asked.  
  
"Seriously, Pumbaa. You think I haven't already thought of that?"  
  
"Object to the marriage?" Zazu spoke up.  
  
"I'm not talking to you." Timon climbed up onto Pumbaa's back. "I'm not part of their colony, so if I object, it won't count."   
  
"Then what are you gonna do when you get there?" Pumbaa asked as they started to walk away from Zazu.  
  
"Prove my worthiness somehow, I guess." Timon noticed the speed they were going. "Uh, Pumbaa, we're in a hurry. Give it some gas, and I don't mean your kind of gas." Pumbaa grinned sheepishly and started running.  
  
Zazu shook his head as he flapped his wings, "He is his mother's son." He took off into the sky.  
  
_..._  
  
The sun began to set. Zuri's mother Dalila was grooming her. Zuri sat on a rock as her mother played with her hair.  
  
"You know, sweetie, you could make an _effort_ to look happy. You're getting married," she said.  
  
"To a guy I don't really like," Zuri mumbled.  
  
"Makali's a very handsome meerkat. Would you rather marry one of the uglier meerkats in this colony?"  
  
"Well, no, but--"  
  
"You know your father and I aren't getting any younger, Zuri. We want grandchildren."  
  
"And I want to marry someone else. You haven't even met Timon."  
  
"If he's anything like Fearless Buzz, I really don't care for him."  
  
"I dunno... you said Fearless Buzz was strong. I doubt he could beat _me_ in a wrestling match," Zuri let out a few giggles.  
  
Dalila chuckled as she licked a paw and smoothed her daughter's hair out. "Even so, your father wants Makali. Couldn't you marry him for our sake and have a headache for the next five years?"  
  
Zuri turned to face her mother with a pout. "Mom... did you love Papa when you married him?"  
  
Dalila paused for a moment, then grimaced. "Well... we got along."  
  
"So you didn't love him."  
  
Dalila looked at her for a moment, and then pulled her into a hug. "Precious, we grew to love each other. Trust me, the same will happen to you and Makali. Just give it time."  
  
Zuri nuzzled her head into her mother's chest. "But I don't wanna give it time." She closed her eyes as her mother stroked her hair. "I want Timon."  
  
"You're just nervous. It'll be over soon and you'll eventually forget about Timon." She kissed the top of her head and stood. "Central meeting tunnel. We start when you arrive."   
  
"I'll be there..." Zuri waved to Dalila as she walked out of the tunnel. "... Unless I'm somewhere else." Zuri sat on the rock for a few minutes, thinking to herself. She put her paws on her head.  
  
_"What do you have here? A pushy father, a fiancé you don't even want, life in the Pit of Shame..."_ Timon's voice said in her head.  
  
_"As your father, I still have a say in whether or not I approve of your love interest... and I don't like _this_ one,"_ Shomari's voice said in her head.  
  
_"You're so desperate for a better life, you'd believe anything. Your problem, Zuri, is you're too trusting,"_ Makali's voice said in her head.  
  
_"Precious, we grew to love each other. Trust me, the same will happen to you and Makali,"_ Dalila's voice said in her head.   
  
Zuri dropped her paws from her head and looked towards the tunnel exit. She looked back in the direction her mother went and gulped. She got up and walked towards the exit. She looked up at the freshly darkened sky, so fresh the stars had yet to appear. She climbed up to the surface and inhaled deeply. She turned back to view the other tunnels and sighed. "I'm sorry, Mom, Papa. I can't continue to live this life and marry a false love." She turned to face the wide-open space. "I'll be happier with Timon." She started to walk away. She didn't have to hide; the meerkats on sentry duty would normally quit after the sun had set. No one could see her leave... except for a pair of glowing yellow eyes behind the tall grass.  
  
_...  
_  
Down in the central meeting tunnel, everyone were gathered together.  
  
"Everything's just about ready," Shomari said.  
  
"Great. So where's my bride?" Makali asked as he paced around a bit.  
  
"Dalila's going to get her. Shouldn't take long." They heard some struggling in one of the adjoining tunnels, followed by a meerkat being thrown in. Timon walked in, dusting his paws off.  
  
"I forgot my invitation," he shrugged.  
  
"Timon! Get out of my tunnel before I--!"  
  
"Not this time, Pops. This time, I'm not leaving without Zuri," Timon folded his arms in front of his chest. Shomari growled as he approached Timon.  
  
"Do you realize what I could _do_ to you, pup?"  
  
"I don't care. I'd rather die than let your daughter continue to live in this mud hole." He stepped back from Shomari and held his paws up. "So let's go."  
  
Shomari looked at him for a moment. "What could you offer Zuri? Are you telling me you live in nicer tunnels than this?" He looked slightly amused.  
  
"I live in a predator-free oasis with the rest of my colony. We don't have to dig tunnels or live with our heads stuck in the sand."  
  
"Nice fantasy. I can see why she wants to be with you if you tell her such sweet lies."  
  
"It's not a fantasy!"  
  
"Predator-free? No tunnels? I have to agree with Shomari," Makali said. A few other meerkats mumbled their agreements and nodded.   
  
"I've been through a lot in my life no one would believe. But you know what? I think if you listen to your daughter for once, you'd be closer than you are right now!"  
  
"I expect one of us to be eaten at any time, so I try not to be close to anyone," Shomari said in a low voice.  
  
"No wonder she wants a better life." He looked around at the group of meerkats. "Where _IS_ she anyway?"  
  
"Not that it's any of your business, but her mother is retrieving her for the wedding."  
  
Dalila suddenly rushed into the central meeting tunnel in a panic. "Zuri's gone! I can't find her anywhere!"  
  
"What do you mean she's gone?" Shomari asked, looking a little worried.  
  
"Just as I said. I looked everywhere," Dalila said, approaching Shomari.  
  
"Did you try outside?" Timon asked.  
  
"Outside? At night? Are you crazy? Who are you anyway?"  
  
Timon went to reply when they heard a scream. Pumbaa's voice was then heard echoing in the tunnel. "Timon! I think I heard Zuri scream nearby!" He paused for a second. "And by the look of these tracks, I think I know what she's screaming at!"  
  
"What?!" Timon called back to him.  
  
"I said--"  
  
"No, I mean, what kind of tracks are they?!"  
  
"Oh! Looks like hyena tracks!"  
  
"**_Hyenas?!_**" Dalila clutched onto Shomari. "I'm gonna lose my baby, Shomari!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Dalila," Shomari said in a low voice as he held her close.  
  
"That's it? You're just gonna let her get eaten?" Timon asked them both.  
  
"It's the laws of nature. If you're at the bottom of the food chain and go outside alone at night, you're likely gonna run into trouble. Nothing we can do against hyenas."  
  
"Not even for your own _daughter?_" Shomari was silent. Timon stared at him for a moment, and then started for the exit. "If I save her, she comes with me."  
  
Makali stepped in front of the exit, blocking Timon's path. "Don't be an idiot like your father."  
  
Timon growled, balled up his fist, and punched Makali in the face, knocking him away from the exit. "No one calls my father an idiot except my mother." He continued to the exit.  
  
"Eh, let him get himself killed. Not like he's in our colony," Shomari said, waving Timon off.   
  
Dalila looked up to Shomari, then after Timon. "If we took over his colony, he would've been."  
  
_To be continued..._


	11. Fight Scene

Wow, got a lot of reviews since I posted Chapter 10... and they weren't _all_ from 10. I'm glad I can amuse you guys with surprises (_Timon punching Makali_) and fun lines ("_No one calls my father an idiot except my mother."_). ::Giggle.:: Now, you notice for this chapter, Timon, Pumbaa, and Zuri aren't here with me. Cuz I wanna keep you guys guessing whether or not Zuri lives. I know, I'm evil. I love it! ::Cackle.:: Ahem, OK, where was I? Oh yeah, intro. Let us begin.  
  
PS, I'm not the best at writing action sequences without my muse, so I'm sorry if it disappoints. ::Sniff:: I miss my muse. Wish her computer was fixed.  
  
Chapter 11:  
  
Timon climbed out of the tunnel and looked around. He noticed Pumbaa padded over to him.  
  
"So, where is she?" Timon asked as he dusted his fur off.  
  
"The tracks go that way," Pumbaa motioned with his head.   
  
Timon sniffed the air. "Good news. I don't smell blood yet." He motioned for Pumbaa to follow him as he followed the tracks. There were meerkat tracks covered over by hyena tracks, the size of them making Timon shiver. He stopped a moment, and put a paw to his chin.  
  
Pumbaa didn't notice as he walked over Timon. He noticed Timon was no longer in front of him and looked back at him. "What is it, Timon?"   
  
"We're in the Pride Lands... and the last time we faced hyenas solo, you and I both got knocked into a rock."  
  
"Yeah... so?" Pumbaa wasn't quite understanding where Timon was going.  
  
"So, Pumbaa, we're in the neighborhood. Why don't we get help from Simba and the others? They're bigger and better and more successful at fighting hyenas than us!"  
  
"Oh, I get it! But what about Zuri?"  
  
"_I'll_ look for Zuri, _you_ go get the lions."  
  
"What if the hyena is with her?"  
  
Timon thought for a moment. "I'm very good at running away." Pumbaa arched a brow. "Pumbaa, would you just go? I'll be fine, trust me." He pulled Pumbaa down to his level. "Just, uh... try not to tell my mother I volunteered to do this."  
  
"If your mother finds out I left you alone--"  
  
"She won't if you _don't_ tell her!" Pumbaa grimaced as he nodded and started trotting towards Pride Rock. Timon gulped again and continued to follow the tracks. "Here, Zuri, Zuri, Zuri..." He stopped and ducked behind some tall grass when he saw the backside of a hyena. The hyena was growling and started digging near the bottom of a large rock. Timon gulped a third time and slowly came out from behind the grass. He snuck up to the hyena and sank his teeth into the hyena's back right leg. The hyena howled in pain and started kicking his back legs to get him off.   
  
Zuri poked her head out from under the rock to see what happened. "Timon?"   
  
Timon dropped from the hyena's leg and ran over to Zuri. He turned his head to the side to spit out the hair. "_Yuck!_ Nasty aftertaste."  
  
"Timon, you made it!" Zuri wrapped her arms around him, suddenly forgetting the situation.  
  
Timon forgot about the situation himself briefly, but then snapped back to reality. "Sorry, Zuri, but we'll have to continue this later!" He grabbed onto her arm and started to run with her. They skid to a halt when the hyena jumped in front of them.  
  
"_Boo!_"   
  
"_Yah!_" both Timon and Zuri yelped, Zuri getting behind Timon. Timon looked up at the hyena and gulped again.   
  
"_You..._" the hyena growled as he approached them. Timon and Zuri backed away.  
  
"Oh, of _all_ the hyenas I had to run into, it had to be you..." Timon said, noticing the scars on the hyena's nose.  
  
"You know him?" Zuri asked.   
  
"He was part of the pack of hyenas that killed my father." He turned back to the hyena with a nervous smile. "You're looking good, uh... gee, I never _did_ get your name."  
  
"Mataka. And you're looking good... enough to eat."  
  
"Do you always have to be hungry whenever we meet? And consider your age. Is it a good thing to eat meat? Don't you need dentures yet?"  
  
"Timon, what are you doing asking such stupid questions?" Zuri whispered into Timon's ear.   
  
"Waiting for help to arrive, I'll bet," Mataka said. Mataka looked behind the two meerkats and grinned. "And here's _my_ help."   
  
Zuri looked back and gulped. "Uh, Timon..." Timon held Zuri close as he looked to see five hyenas approaching them.   
  
"Are you so afraid of one meerkat that you need a whole pack to kill him off?" Timon nervously asked.  
  
Mataka pressed his nose against Timon's fur and bared his teeth. "You're more trouble than your worth, so I'm going to make sure this is our _last_ meeting."  
  
Timon shook his head, "Tsk tsk tsk. You'd think after two meetings, you'd learn..."  
  
Mataka blinked, "Learn what?"  
  
Timon swiped his paw across the hyena's nose, "Never put your nose down to my level unless you're looking for another set of scars!" Mataka reared his head and yelped. Timon grabbed Zuri's arm and ran underneath the hyena. The other hyenas ran after them.   
  
"What were you doing outside anyway?" Timon asked as they continued running.  
  
"Now isn't really--" Zuri began.  
  
"It could be the _only_ time! Why?"  
  
"I panicked. I didn't wanna marry Makali and it was apparent my parents weren't going to get to know you and approve of you. So I was gonna go to Pride Rock to ask for directions to your oasis."  
  
"You actually disobeyed your father... to be with me?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"I'm flattered." Timon looked ahead, seeing the tunnels in view. "Get ready..."  
  
"For _what?!_"   
  
Timon didn't answer. When they were close enough to the tunnels, Timon held his breath and threw Zuri forward and down into one of the tunnel entrances. Before Timon could jump in, a hyena blocked the entrance. Timon scrambled to the other side and started running again.   
  
Zuri tumbled down, grunting loudly. The meerkats in the central meeting tunnel rushed to see what that was. They stopped in their tracks when they realized it was Zuri.  
  
"Zuri!" Dalila rushed over to her daughter and hugged her. "Oh, sweetie, are you all right?"  
  
"Yes, but Mom, lemme go!" Zuri pulled away from her mother's grip. She looked up towards the entrance. "He's not coming... We have to go up there and help Timon. He's still up there facing the hyenas!"  
  
"Why should we help him? He's not of our colony, so he's none of our concern," Makali, who was rubbing his swollen jaw, said.   
  
"He's right, Zuri. If he's truly the son of Fearless Buzz, he can take care of himself," Shomari nodded.   
  
Zuri stood and dusted herself off as she walked towards him. "But Papa--"  
  
"He's not a member of our colony, so he doesn't count. So why don't you--?" He was interrupted by a strong slap on the cheek. He was in shock, only dumbly putting a paw on his red cheek as his daughter Zuri waved her paw in the air. The rest of the colony stood there, stunned.  
  
"_Ow,_ that hurt," Zuri mumbled to herself, kissing her paw.  
  
Shomari seemed to regain his senses, because his face grew angry. "Young lady, how dare you--?"  
  
"No, Shomari! How dare _YOU?!_ If you even cared about me, you would've been outside looking for me like Timon! Don't I have a right to slap you for being a poor father?"  
  
"YOU'RE the one who left the tunnels when I told you _not_ to! Before that rogue you didn't have any problem obeying me! I thought it might teach you a lesson!"  
  
"At least if I was eaten, it would've been better than being forced to marry someone I DON'T love!"  
  
"Zuri..." Dalila sounded surprised.   
  
Zuri's expression softened. "I don't like this life, Papa. I didn't want to marry Makali and try to grow to love him over time. Please... if you care for me at all, at least help Timon."   
  
Shomari looked at her for a few moments. "To say such things... am I to assume that you love him?"  
  
Zuri was silent for a few moments, and then she nodded. "I do. So please, Papa?" Shomari turned to look at his colony.  
  
"We can't tell you what to do, Shomari. She's _your_ daughter," a meerkat said. The others nodded in agreement. Shomari grunted, and then looked down at his feet.  
  
_..._  
  
Up above Timon was being chased by the pack of hyenas. He was keeping them away from the tunnels to keep the colony safe. As the hyenas nipped at his heels Timon kept asking himself--  
  
"_**What's keeping that warthog?!**_" He skid to a halt when he reached a yawning canyon. He gulped when he noticed the darkness below. "What's going on here? There's suppose to be a dam here! Those lazy construction workers didn't rebuilt it yet!" He turned around to walk back, forgetting about the hyenas, and found himself surrounded by them. "Yipe."  
  
Mataka strolled up to Timon. "No way out except down, so we end this now."  
  
Timon panted as he looked around, panicking. He backed away from the approaching hyena, until he felt he ran out of room to back away. He looked down at the canyon, then back at the hyena. He panted a bit more, then held his breath and jumped backwards into the steep canyon.  
  
"What?!" Mataka growled and peered down into the canyon, expecting to see Timon disappear into the darkness. Instead he saw Timon clinging to a thick root at the edge of the wall. Mataka grinned, "Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Someone go get him!"  
  
"He's _your_ enemy. _You_ get him," a female barked.  
  
"I can't reach that far with my bad back," Mataka retorted.   
  
"But you're the biggest out of us..."  
  
While the hyenas argued back and forth, Timon was fighting to keep his grip on the root. He couldn't get a proper foothold, so he was relying on his arm strength, which had begun to fail. "Hey, would you guys mind if I scream for help?" Timon called up to the hyenas.  
  
"Eh? Oh, sure, scream your head off," Mataka mindlessly shrugged.  
  
"Thanks." Timon inhaled and screamed, "**_HELP!!!_**"  
  
As if on cue, the hyenas started yelping out some pain as several meerkats launched themselves onto the hyenas biting and clawing them.   
  
"Ow! Get 'em off!" a hyena yelped, trying to turn his head to nip at the meerkats.  
  
"No, YOU get 'em off!" a second hyena growled.  
  
"Wow, it worked," Timon blinked. He forced what little strength he had left in his arms to climb to the base of the root. He panted, and then swallowed. "Hey, can anyone up there help me back up?!" he called. To his surprise, Pete and Shomari both appeared above him. The two exchanged slightly dirty looks, and then nodded. Pete held onto Shomari's ankles as he lowered him down to Timon. Timon grabbed onto Shomari's paws as Pete pulled them back up.   
  
"Are you all right, Timon?" Pete asked, dusting his paws off.  
  
"Yeah, but... what are you guys doing here?" Timon asked, dusting himself off.  
  
Pete grinned, "Your little guilt trip worked."   
  
"I was only doing my daughter a favor," Shomari snorted.   
  
"Gee, and here I thought you were starting to like me, Shomari," Timon said flatly.  
  
Shomari then turned to the attacking meerkats. "We got him! Let's go!" The meerkats jumped off of the hyenas and started to scramble back to the tunnels. The hyenas gave chase.   
  
Timon looked back, then widen his eyes as one of the hyenas prepared to pounce on him and Shomari. "Shomari, duck!" he shouted, pulling Shomari and himself down as the hyena jumped right over them. "OK, now we're even." The two meerkats helped each other back up and ran around they fallen hyena.   
  
Shomari looked back to see Mataka was suddenly closing in on them. "We're dead!"   
  
"Not unless help comes right about--"  
  
"Hakuna Matata!" Pumbaa arrived and slammed into Mataka, knocking him over. Timon and Shomari stopped to see Mataka roll over a few times.  
  
"Pumbaa! What took you so long?"  
  
"We couldn't leave until I told your mother what was going on," Pumbaa sheepishly replied.  
  
"_You told her?!_" Timon looked around nervously. "She didn't come, did she?"   
  
"She did." Pumbaa pointed to Ma racing to the tunnels and jumping in.   
  
Timon sighed, "I'm gonna get an earful from her when this is over." Shomari ducked when he saw Simba jump over them, followed by Kovu and Nala to attack the pack of hyenas.   
  
"Where'd those lions come from?" Shomari asked.  
  
"They're with us," Timon said as he took Shomari by the arm and continued to run to the tunnels. Shomari dropped down into the tunnel first. Timon was about to drop in when Mataka slammed into him, knocking him away from the tunnels.   
  
"Timon!" Pumbaa shouted. Another hyena then attacked Pumbaa, keeping him occupied.  
  
Timon pushed himself up, rubbing his head. "Oy... at least I didn't hit a rock this time." He felt hot breath on the back of his neck, making him stiffen up. "Lemme take a wild guess... Mataka?"  
  
"Bingo," a familiar gruff voice growled.   
  
"OK, it's obvious you're not gonna let me into the tunnels, so..." Timon grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it into his face. "Catch me if you can!" Mataka coughed as Timon got up and ran.   
  
Mataka rubbed the dirt off and growled, "You're dead meat!"   
  
He ran after Timon, snapping his teeth at him. Timon yelped when Mataka nipped the tip of his tail. The sudden taste of blood on his fangs made Mataka all the more determined to catch Timon. Timon sped up the pace, leaving a fair amount of distance between each other. When he couldn't run anymore, Timon stopped, put a paw to his chest, and panted. He swallowed and looked back, noticing Mataka was running straight at him. Timon stood straight up, as if he was struck by lightning, staring at the hyena with wide eyes. The hyena began to skid to a halt to devour him when Timon suddenly jumped out of the way. That's when Mataka realized Timon had stopped by the edge of the canyon again. Unfortunately for Mataka, he had poor brakes and he fell down the steep canyon with a howl.   
  
Timon looked over the edge, seeing nothing but darkness. He heard a thud, and then he grinned. He cupped his paws to the sides of his mouth and yelled, "Watch out for that first step!" He laughed and strolled back towards the tunnels. He screamed and ducked down as the other hyenas ran over him, being chased away by the lions.  
  
Pumbaa came over to Timon and nudged him with a hoof. "Timon, are you OK?"  
  
Timon lifted his head up to see who it was, and sighed in relief. "Yeah... I just need a nap and a bandage." He picked his tail up and winced. "That'll be a nice color in the morning." He stood and stretched. "I'd better see if the two mobs are getting along."  
  
_...  
_  
Down below, Timon entered the central meeting tunnel, where both colonies had gathered.   
  
Ma rushed over to him. "Timmy! Are you all right?"  
  
"I'll be fine."  
  
"Good." She whacked him over the head. "What did you think you were doing trying to fight that hyena alone?!"  
  
"I was saving Zuri. Pumbaa wasn't suppose to take so long getting the lions," Timon said, rubbing his head. "She's all right, isn't she?" He looked over to Zuri, who was standing behind Dalila and Makali.  
  
"Yeah, I-I'm OK, Timon," she said.   
  
Timon was about to approach her when Shomari stepped in front of him. "I want you out of these tunnels," he said.  
  
Timon couldn't believe this. "Oh, come _on,_ Shomari. I thought you were starting to like me. I kinda saved your life out there."  
  
"Which I'm grateful for. But I only went up there in the first place to show my daughter I cared for her. That doesn't mean I like you any more now than I did then. It was because of you my daughter went outside in the first place."  
  
"Maybe you're just tired and sore... maybe if you slept on it, you'd think about liking me better?"  
  
"Timon..." Zuri stepped out from behind Dalila and Makali and stood next to her father. "I can't take this anymore. Look at all the trouble we caused trying to be together. Maybe we should rethink about continuing this..." She tried thinking of a word. "This..."  
  
"This...?" Timon tried prompting her.  
  
"... This relationship. Our families don't like each other and they won't give each other a chance. So... why should we try if not everyone can be happy?"  
  
"Zuri... are you saying...?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Timon, but... if our families can't agree, I don't think we should be together."  
  
Timon softly gasped, then shook his head. "Zuri, if you're being told what to say--"  
  
"I'm not."   
  
Timon looked at the two colonies, then lowered his eyes. "I see. But..." He turned back to Zuri, smiling. "At least it wasn't a waste getting to know you."   
  
"Timon?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Zuri walked up to him and threw her arms around him. Timon blinked a moment, and then returned the favor. "Thanks for adding a little excitement to my life."  
  
Timon nodded and slowly dropped his arms from her. He turned to leave, but stopped when Shomari spoke up, "Timon." Timon turned to look at Shomari. "I thank you for saving my daughter."  
  
"I wouldn't have done it if I didn't care for her." He turned to his mother. "I'm going back to the oasis. Stay here and visit with the lions if you want." Timon turned back around and walked out of the tunnel.   
  
Zuri watched after him with sorrowful eyes. She then turned and ran out of the tunnel towards her nest with a sob. The two colonies watched after the two younger meerkats, and then looked at each other in silence.  
  
_To be continued..._


	12. Reunion

_Kari:_ I can't give the author's note without giving away some kind of spoiler--  
_Pumbaa:_ What's spoiled?  
_Timon:_ Not spoiled, it's _SPOILER_. It's when you discover something early before it happens. Leaves no surprise.  
_Pumbaa:_ Ohh... Is that why Zuri isn't with us?  
_Timon:_ Uh...  
_Kari:_ Stop talking and I'll give you the new Mud & Bugs Pop Tarts.  
_Timon & Pumbaa:_ :zip their lips, receive their treats.:  
_Kari:_ Heh heh... OK, that being said, I'll have to put the author's note at the end. In the meantime, read on! UPDATE: Removed _Grazin' In the Grass_ lyrics. 

Chapter 12:

A week had passed. The colony had returned to the oasis and had resumed their Hakuna Matata life. Timon was lying in his hammock over the stream, still depressed about having to leave Zuri behind. Needless to say, Pumbaa and the others were growing more concerned with each passing day.

Pumbaa paced in front of Ma and Uncle Max, who were both sitting on a log. "What are we gonna do about Timon? We can't just tell him to forget Zuri."

"We can tell him... he just won't listen," Uncle Max said, folding his arms in front of his chest. "That's the problem with that pup. He doesn't listen."

Ma tapped her chin a few times, and then slid off the log. She walked to the edge of the stream and called over to Timon, "Timon, would you get out of that hammock and let someone else have a turn?"

Timon turned over onto his stomach to look over at her. "I didn't know you liked hammocks, Ma."

"I don't. I want you out of that thing and do something constructive to forget about that girl. Do you want to do it yourself, or do I have to send Pumbaa over?"

Timon sighed and rolled over again, landing into the water. He waded back to the shore, shaking himself off. "Happy? I'm out. The tree hammocks have better views anyway." He started to walk away.

"Come on, Timon. Why don't you cheer up?" Pumbaa began to follow him.

Timon, now annoyed, pulled Pumbaa down his level. "You tell me to cheer up after I had to leave the girl of my dreams back in the Pit of Shame?"

"Well..."

Timon growled and climbed the nearest tree. "You'll never understand, Pumbaa." He climbed to one of the high branches and laid in one of the vine hammocks. He looked out towards the desert, and then noticed some movement. "Pumbaa, we've got company."

"Mirage?" Pumbaa called up.

"How are we to know unless _you_ go see?"

Pumbaa grimaced and walked towards the desert to see. He turned back to announce, "Simba's coming!"

"Good. Tell him I said hi."

"You're not coming down?"

"Not unless he brought interesting company." Pumbaa grimaced again and walked away from the tree.

Timon laid back and sighed. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. He grunted and covered his ears when the colony began to create music. He growled, and then he looked down towards the group that gathered by the stream. "Hey, keep the volume down! I'm trying to sleep!"

"Get down here, Timon!" Ma called up to him.

"What, now you want me to give someone else a turn in the tree hammock?"

"We have company!"

Timon laid back on his back and closed his eyes. "Yeah, I know, but I'm not in the mood to see Simba right now!"

"It's not Simba I want you to see!"

Timon's ears twitched slightly when he heard a voice singing.He sat up when he recognized it. "Zuri?" He grabbed a vine and climbed down. He ran past his mother towards the stream. When he arrived he noticed the colony dancing along to the beat the voice was singing. Simba was lying nearby, bobbing his head to the rhythm. Timon pushed his way through until he saw the source.The meerkat singing did a small dance and continued. She suddenly stopped when she noticed Timon. Everyone turned to see what she was staring at.

"Finally showed up, eh, Timon?" a meerkat asked.

Timon ignored the meerkat as he walked up closer to the singing meerkat. "Zuri?"

"Hey, Timon." Zuri cowered her head a bit and looked away from him. "I guess I hitch-hiked to the right oasis. It's beautiful." Simba and the colony decided to part, to let the two talk.

The two stood there for a few moments. Timon finally furrowed his brow at her, turned away and folded his arms in front of his chest. "What are _you_ doing here? Did your ball and chain get tired of you?"

"'Ball and--'?" Zuri shook her head. "Timon, I didn't marry Makali."

Timon made a silent 'yes!' motion, but kept his back to Zuri. "Why not?"

"I don't know... Papa didn't say."

"Does he know you're here?" Timon gulped when Shomari suddenly walked up in front of him. "I guess he does." Pumbaa and Ma walked into the scene. "I'm guessing Simba brought you here?"

"He did," Shomari grunted.

"Why?"

"I wanted to tell you personally that Zuri is still unavailable. I have chosen a new fiancé for her."

Zuri walked up next to Timon. "Oh, Papa, after all this, I'm _still_ in an arranged marriage?"

"Really, Shomari, when are you doing to get with the times?" Ma demanded, stepping up to him.

"You keep out of this," Shomari growled. Ma returned the growl and stood behind Timon.

"Please tell me it's not one of the uglier meerkats in the colony!" Zuri pulled on her ears. "Those guys are real _nerds!_"

"Well, he's not the handsomest meerkat in Africa--"

"I'd rather marry Makali in that case," Zuri said, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"I probably would, too," Timon muttered. Zuri laughed, but stopped when Shomari gave them both a warning stare.

"Let me finish. He's not the handsomest meerkat in Africa, but he is brave and worthy of my daughter."

Zuri sighed, now looking a little defeated. "Who?" Shomari arched a brow at Ma, who nodded to him. They both took hold of their children's shoulders, and turned them to face each other. They looked at each other, a bit confused.

"Your arranged fiancé for Zuri... is Timon?" Pumbaa asked. When Pumbaa said that, both Timon and Zuri gasped and looked to their parents.

"Really?" Zuri asked.

Ma stepped next to Shomari. "Your parents and I talked it over. We never saw our children happier before they met each other."

Shomari nodded. "Both colonies agreed to put the past behind. We'll be moving them to this oasis later in the week."

"Yay! Now the _two_ colonies will be _one!_" Pumbaa cheered.

"Oh, Papa!" Zuri ran to her father and hugged him. "Thank you!"

"You've been planning this since I left the Pride Lands?" Timon asked his mother, almost in disbelief.

"We wanted to surprise you. That's why we waited a week," Ma said.

For the first time in a week, Timon smiled and hugged his mother. "Thanks, Ma."

"Let's celebrate!" Pumbaa said, wagging his tail. On that note, the rest of the colony appeared out of various hiding places and cheered.

As the colony created their own music, Ma turned to Timon. "You know, Timmy, I'm still upset with you for leaving to meet Zuri."

"Aw, _c'mon,_ Ma! It was love!" Timon slapped a paw on his forehead.

"I know, but that's still no excuse."

"And that goes for you, too, young lady," Shomari turned to Zuri. "You disobeyed me several times."

"Papa, it was love!" Zuri pouted.

"Yes, but you still have to pay. But you know..." Shomari turned to Ma. "I think I know what our children could do to make it up to both of us." He bent over to her and whispered into Ma's ear. Ma smiled and nodded. Ma then wiggled a finger, signaling Timon and Zuri to come closer to her. They bent down, and she whispered something to their ears.

Timon and Zuri blushed and stood up straight. "Grandchildren!"

"By next spring, at least," Shomari said, nodding.

"And we mean _meerkat_ pups, not lion cubs." Shomari took Ma's arm and they both walked away from them, grinning.

Timon and Zuri looked at each other, blinking. "Grandchildren..."

Zuri grinned and leaned against Timon. "I guess I could warm up to the idea."

Timon blushed again. "Yeah... me, too."

Pumbaa sighed as he watched Timon and Zuri. "Gee, I'm the only bachelor left in the original Hakuna Matata group. I'm never gonna find a girl." He suddenly stood to attention as a female warthog padded by him, and winked at him. He watched her walk by, and grinned. "Then again..." He got up and trotted after her.

Timon blinked as Pumbaa followed the female warthog, and then he looked at Zuri. "You really _do_ have a warthog for a friend?"

"Yeah, that's Jina. Quite a coincidence, huh? Two meerkats have warthogs for friends?"

"Nah... I'd say fate."

Zuri grinned and took hold of Timon's arm, "Let's get away from the crowd for a while..."

"Mother warned me about girls like you," Timon said as she pulled him away. They walked far enough from the celebration where the sound of the music was weakened.

Zuri smiled and hugged Timon. "Ha ha! I _knew_ my plan would work!"

Timon returned the hug. "Whoo-hoo! The mother of all guilt trips, baby! That was great!" He then held her out. "But I was starting to worry when you didn't come after a week."

"Yeah, I was afraid it didn't work until Papa came up to me and said he wanted to speak to you. He didn't tell me why. I was really worried when he said he was still doing the arranged marriage." She exhaled and ran a paw over her hair. "But I'm glad everyone can be happy now... except Makali."

Timon shrugged, "Eh, he'll bounce back. A guy with his looks will probably end up beating the girls off with a stick. By the way that was _great_ acting when you said we should rethink about the relationship. I believed it."

Zuri tapped Timon on the chin. "Well, of _course_ you believed it. That's because I didn't tell you about it until I whispered it into your ear as we hugged."

"Genius. _Pure_ genius."

"Hey, when you wanna get something, you gotta put on the mother of all guilt trips," Zuri giggled.

"Baby, you're the greatest." Zuri giggled and hugged Timon again, rubbing her head against his chest.

"Let's try to keep this from our colonies, OK? They'd never forgive us for that."

"'Colonies'? Zuri... it's 'colony' now. C'mon. I'll give you the tour." Timon put a paw on her back and guided her away from the area.

_The End_

Surprised, aren't you? OK, everyone, I doubt I'm gonna put an epilogue on this one, so this is the last chapter. Lot of fun writing this stuff, and I wish I had more inspiration to go on! Gives me something fun to do. Maybe someday I'll write a prequel with the competition between Fearless Buzz and Shomari's mobs. Maybe I'll give the meerkats and warthogs kids. We'll see what comes to mind. So, here's hoping you haven't seen the last of me! And don't forget, I've got _Son of Fearless Buzz_ still up! Hoping I can get the reviews up to the 100 mark on both stories. Later, gang!


	13. Epilogue

OK, so I decided to put an epilogue up... I got totally _bored!_ This'll open the way if I ever come up with a good plot to use with the kids. Hope you like it.  
  
Epilogue:  
  
It was a beautiful day in the oasis. The two meerkat colonies had recently been joined into one by the union of Timon and Zuri, and everyone was happy. Even Timon's best pal Pumbaa has found happiness. Zuri's warthog friend Jina had also moved into the oasis and had settled down with Pumbaa. Life was good.   
  
It was a few months after the union. Timon was sunbathing on a rock by the stream, napping. He suddenly felt a shadow looming over him, taking the warm sunshine away from his fur. He felt someone staring at him, making it hard to peacefully sleep. He knew who it was right away. In a groggy voice, he asked, "Is there something you want, Pumbaa?"  
  
"Well, I _was_ going to tell you something, but if you're too busy..." Pumbaa said, and then started to walk away.   
  
Timon sat up, stretched, and yawned, "I was busy sleeping, but I'm awake now."   
  
Pumbaa came back over and sat down in front of Timon, who let out another yawn and rubbed his eyes. "Well... I don't know how to tell you this, but..."  
  
Timon started to look worried. He stood to get a better view of his friend. "What's wrong, Pumbaa? Is someone sick? Do you have to leave? Is someone dead?"  
  
Pumbaa quickly shook his head, "_No!_ No, nothing like that, Timon." Timon let out a sigh of relief. "Actually, it's good news."  
  
"Oh, _good_ news! Do tell." Timon leaned forward, resting his elbows on Pumbaa's snout and his chin in his paws.  
  
"Jina and I... are, uh..."  
  
Timon blinked a moment. "Lines that start out like that usually imply you're getting married. But I thought you two were already married, right after Zuri and me."  
  
"We _are_ married, but that's not the news. It's what you get after you get married," Pumbaa said, digging his hoof into the dirt.  
  
"Uh... twenty-six blenders?"  
  
"Timon, you're not trying hard enough."  
  
"The honeymoon?"  
  
"After that."  
  
Timon tapped on his chin for a few moments and then he tapped his foot. The tapping of both fingers and foot slowed when a look of realization came to Timon's face. He then slapped a paw over his eyes in defeat. "Aww, Pumbaa! Before me?"  
  
"What before you?" Pumbaa asked, blinking.  
  
Timon took hold of Pumbaa's tusks and looked at him square in the face. "You're gonna be a father before me!" Timon paused for a moment. "That _IS_ what you're trying to tell me, isn't it?"  
  
"Yup!" Pumbaa smiled proudly. He then frowned. "Aren't you happy for me?"  
  
Timon leaned forward, supporting his weight on Pumbaa's snout again. "Of course I'm happy for you, Pumbaa. But I just thought since I found a girl and got married first, I'd be on the way to start a family first. I'm just a little... surprised."  
  
"You could still be first. Meerkat pregnancies are shorter than warthogs'."   
  
"I know, but Zuri's not expecting yet... at least, I don't think she is." Timon leaned back and landed back on the rock.  
  
"Who knows? She might be."  
  
"I should be so lucky." He rested his paws behind his head and laid back.  
  
"I guess I'll let you get back to your nap. See you later, Timon." Pumbaa trotted away.  
  
"Later, Pumbaa. Oh, and congrats! We'll throw a party for you later!"   
  
"Party? Yay!"  
  
Timon watched him trot off, and then he looked back up at the sky. "First Simba, now Pumbaa. Oy..." He closed his eyes again, trying to relax. He then sighed when he felt someone else blocking the sunlight and looking at him. He opened them, furrowed his brow, and looked at the visitor. He then nervously smiled when he noticed who it was.  
  
Zuri looked down at Timon, having her paws on her hips. "Am I interrupting something?"  
  
"You can't interrupt what hasn't even started." Timon stretched out and yawned. "Did I announce when and where I was taking a nap today? Everyone keeps finding me."  
  
"We know how you think." Zuri grinned and walked around the rock to sit next to Timon.   
  
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"  
  
"I've got something to tell you."  
  
"Yeah, I know. Pumbaa and Jina are expecting."  
  
"Expecting? You mean _THE_ expecting?" Zuri asked. She smiled. "That's great! I'll have to congratulate them later."  
  
"We're gonna throw a party for them later." Timon then wrinkled his eyebrows and sat up. "Wait, you mean that's not what you wanted to tell me?"  
  
"No." She scooted closer to Timon. "But it _is_ important." Timon suddenly looked a little worried. "You remember our, uh, 'punishment' our parents gave us when we moved to the oasis, don't you?"  
  
Timon stretched out again, "Yeah, they said they wanted grandchildren by spring... and I'm guessing you wanna get started."  
  
"Well--"  
  
"Hakuna Matata, Zuri. We've got plenty of time before spring."  
  
"Timon, spring is only ten weeks away."  
  
"So?"  
  
"Meerkat pregnancy is about eleven weeks."  
  
Timon gulped. He then relaxed and laid back on the rock again. "Eh, so we don't get the grandchildren in time for spring. What are our parents gonna make us do? Get a divorce? Ha!"  
  
Zuri giggled, "I guess you're right. Either way, Timon... we're right on time. They'll be here by spring."  
  
Timon absentmindedly nodded. His eyes snapped opened when he actually heard what she said. He sat back up. "What do you mean they'll be here by spring? Who's _they?_"  
  
Zuri rolled her eyes. "Do I _really_ have to spell it out for you?"  
  
"Yes, please."  
  
"I mean, the _pups_ will be here by spring."  
  
Timon gulped and pointed at Zuri. "You mean you're--?" He then pointed to himself. "And I'm--?" He then pointed to himself and her. "We're gonna--?"  
  
"Would you finish your sentences, Timon?" Zuri asked, looking a bit annoyed.  
  
"Sure, if I can remember what I just asked." Timon breathed deeply a few times, trying to remember what he was asking a moment ago. "OK, OK..." He pointed at Zuri again. "You're... with_ pup?_" Zuri smiled and nodded. He pointed to himself. "I'm gonna be... a _father?_" Zuri nodded again. He grabbed onto Zuri's shoulders, pressing his nose against hers. "We're gonna be... _parents?!_" Zuri smiled and nodded a third time. Timon stared dumbly at her for a few moments, his mouth hanging open. Zuri stared at him, waiting for him to do something. He finally cracked a smile. "I'm gonna be a... oy..." he said as he fainted right back onto the rock.  
  
Zuri blinked and pulled him back up into a sitting position. She lightly slapped his face. "Timon? Timon. Would you wake up?"  
  
Timon stirred, reopening his eyes. "Huh? What?"  
  
"Gee, you took the news better than I thought."  
  
Timon shook his head to clear it and took hold of Zuri's shoulders. "Are you sure, Zuri? Absolutely, _'posilutely'_ 100% sure?"  
  
"Yes to everything you said."   
  
"You _can't_ be! I don't know anything about--! Dad never--! I--! You--! He--!" He stopped when Zuri slapped him. Timon shook his head to clear it again and rubbed his red cheek. "What was _that_ for?"  
  
"I thought you were hysterical." Zuri furrowed her brow at him. "And you're acting like starting a family is a _bad_ thing. I thought you'd be happy."  
  
Timon gulped at Zuri's expression. "_Ooo,_ mood swing," he mumbled to himself.  
  
Zuri glared at him, "What was _that?_"   
  
Timon held his paws up. "I said, I _AM_ happy! Happy, happy, _deliriously_ happy!" Timon flashed a big, cheesy smile, and pointed at it. "See? Happy teeth!"  
  
Zuri turned away from him and folded her arms in front of her chest. "Nice try."  
  
Timon's big smile quickly faded. "Looked too fake, didn't it?"  
  
"Yes, actually."  
  
Timon exhaled and rubbed the back of his neck. He scooted closer to Zuri and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Seriously, Zuri, I _am_ happy. We both agreed we should have pups, but..."  
  
"But...?" Zuri turned her eyes to Timon.  
  
"But now that we know we're gonna have them... I guess I'm a bit nervous."  
  
"A _BIT_ nervous, Timon?"  
  
"OK, OK, so I'm a nervous _wreck._ I'm a nervous _TRAIN_ wreck. I don't know anything about having pups."  
  
"Timon, _you're_ not having any pups. _I'm_ gonna be having them. And don't think you're the _only_ one who's a nervous train wreck."  
  
Timon nervously chuckled. "Yeah, we both have our reasons. But I'm afraid I won't raise them right."  
  
"Didn't your father teach you anything?" Zuri turned back to face Timon.  
  
"Not about father issues. He died when I was barely six months old, before I even started babysitting. Uncle Max tried to teach me, but... he didn't make much sense. I kinda dazed off thinking about lunch when he was talking about the birds and the bees, especially the bees part." Timon rested his chin in his paw. "I can just hear him now. 'I give your pups two weeks to live under your care, Timon.' How am I gonna know how to raise my own kids?"  
  
"Instinct. And don't forget, you're not the only one who's gonna take care of them," Zuri said, poking Timon in the chest. "Unlike you, I actually _listened_ to what my mother taught me about being a parent."  
  
Timon nervously chuckled as he dusted his chest off. "I'm glad at least one of us knows what they're doing." Zuri giggled and then leaned her weight against him. "Any idea how many are in there?"  
  
"Not a clue, but the first litters are usually small."  
  
"We'll think of names later then, maybe in another month or two?"  
  
"We'll see."  
  
"So... spring, huh?"  
  
"Mmm-hmm."  
  
"I hope they don't come on the first day of spring."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because that's _MY_ birthday." 


End file.
